Philadelphia Water Department

What Philadelphia Water Department does

Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) is a municipal water utility, owned and operated by the City of Philadelphia, providing integrated drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to Philadelphia residents and businesses plus ten suburban wholesale municipal customers. PWD operates three drinking water treatment plants (including the Belmont and Queen Lane facilities), three wastewater treatment plants (including the Southeast and Southwest Water Pollution Control Plants), and an extensive network of water mains, sewers, pump stations, inlets, outfalls, and fire hydrants, supported by approximately 2,200 staff and a $1.5 billion annual capital and operating budget.

The department's core products are the regulated water, sewer, and stormwater services themselves, augmented by digital and infrastructure programs including the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (470,000+ meters deployed), the MyPhillyWaterBill online portal, the Tiered Assistance Program for affordability, the Green City, Clean Waters green infrastructure program, and the Water Revitalization Plan (a 25-year drinking water infrastructure upgrade). Recent additions include a public-facing Service Line Materials Map for lead compliance and a free Schools & Childcares Lead Sampling Program.

Revenue is generated through regulated tariffs set by the Philadelphia Water, Sewer, and Storm Water Rate Board, structured as a mix of usage-based charges (water and sewer per cubic feet), fixed monthly service charges by meter size, and a stormwater charge (fixed for residential, variable by impervious area for commercial). Capital programs are materially supplemented by federal and state low-interest loans and grants. As a not-for-profit government entity, PWD reinvests all revenue into operations and infrastructure rather than generating profit.

Name

Philadelphia Water Department

Legal name

Philadelphia Water Department

Website

https://water.phila.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1800

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Philadelphia Water Department is a municipal utility providing drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to Philadelphia and ten suburban wholesale customers via three water and three wastewater treatment plants and a ~470,000-meter AMI network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drinking Water Distribution Network Operations (Mains, Valves, Hydrants, Service Lines) (EUANAAAE), Sewer Pump/Lift Stations & Wet Wells (EUANACAC), Detention, Retention & Storage Systems (Ponds, Tanks, Vaults) (EUANAEAD), Meter Data Management & Analytics (MDM, validation/estimation/editing, usage insights) (EUANAIAB)

Keywords

• Municipal water utility
• Drinking water treatment
• Wastewater collection
• Stormwater management
• Advanced metering infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Water Usage Charges: Revenue from water consumption charges billed per cubic feet of usage, with tiered pricing for different usage levels. Typical residential customer uses 430 cf/month.
2. Sewer Usage Charges: Revenue from wastewater collection and treatment services, billed per cubic feet of water usage. All billable water usage is charged at the sewer rate.
3. Stormwater Charges: Fixed monthly charge for all residential customers to recover costs of managing stormwater runoff throughout the city. Commercial properties have variable charges based on impervious surface area.
4. Service Charges: Monthly fixed fees based on water meter size (5/8" to 12"), covering the cost of service availability regardless of usage level.
5. Federal and State Funding: Grant and low-interest loan funding from federal and state sources for infrastructure improvements, totaling approximately $1 billion in applications submitted and $951 million awarded in low-interest loans plus $120.4 million in grants as of 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Philadelphia Water Department provides integrated drinking water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management services to Philadelphia residents, businesses, and ten suburban wholesale customers. It operates three drinking water treatment plants and three wastewater treatment plants, maintains extensive water mains, sewers, pump stations, and related infrastructure, and supplements these services with customer-facing digital tools such as the MyPhillyWaterBill online portal, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart meters, and the Service Line Materials Map.

Product overview

Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) is a municipal water utility providing integrated water, wastewater, and stormwater services for Philadelphia and ten suburban wholesale customers. The department operates three drinking water treatment plants, three wastewater treatment plants, and maintains extensive water mains, sewers, pump stations, and storm infrastructure. Core offerings include water distribution and treatment, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management. PWD offers customer-facing digital products including the MyPhillyWaterBill online payment portal and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart meters for detailed usage tracking. The department runs environmental programs such as Green City, Clean Waters for green infrastructure and the Water Revitalization Plan for 25-year infrastructure upgrades. Bill assistance is provided through the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP), and the department conducts free lead testing for schools and childcare facilities through its Schools & Childcares Lead Sampling Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Utility Services Integrated drinking water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management delivered as a regulated municipal utility monopoly to Philadelphia residents, businesses, and ten suburban wholesale municipalities.
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Smart meter upgrade program attaching digital reading devices to existing water meters, enabling customers to view detailed water usage on their MyPhillyWaterBill account and receive leak detection usage alerts.
• Green City, Clean Waters Sustainability and stormwater management program using green infrastructure such as green roofs, permeable pavement, and rain gardens to manage stormwater runoff, reduce pollution in local waterways, and protect the watershed.
• Service Line Materials Map Public-facing interactive online map displaying PWD's records of water service line material for every Philadelphia property, supporting federal lead service line identification requirements.
• Schools & Childcares Lead Sampling Program Free drinking water lead testing program for Philadelphia schools and childcare facilities providing sampling kits, laboratory testing, and customized guidance to assess lead levels and develop action plans.
• Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) Bill assistance program that helps Philadelphia water customers maintain water service, reduce water bill debt, and apply for lower monthly water bills based on income or special hardships; participants are protected from enforcement actions and shutoffs.
• MyPhillyWaterBill Official online customer portal for viewing and paying Philadelphia water bills, accessing detailed AMI usage information, signing up for Paperless E-Billing and AutoPay, and managing water service accounts.
• Drinking Water Quality Report Annual public Drinking Water Quality Report published for Philadelphia customers, covering water quality test results, testing practices, and contaminant findings including PFAS levels in source water.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of customers report being satisfied or very satisfied with PWD services (2025 survey)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ImpactED at University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Long-standing research partnership for annual customer surveys and feedback programs. ImpactED helps design and analyze customer surveys including the annual comprehensive survey, Contact Center after-call surveys, and meter upgrade feedback. Since 2016, over 30,000 survey responses have been collected, informing programs like Drink Philly Tap and AMI improvements.
• Partnership for the Delaware EstuarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Spokesdog competition partner. PDE hosts the competition page and events, helping PWD reach dog owners with clean water messaging about pet waste pollution in waterways. The 2026 competition is hosted at Philadelphia Brewing Company with PDE promoting the event.
• Mural Arts PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership for the Drink More Tap mural campaign, spreading awareness about benefits of Philadelphia tap water through public art installations. Includes collaborations with musicians and artists for multimedia outreach.
• Philadelphia Parks & RecreationsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration for Delaware River Festival at Penn's Landing, Fishing Fest events, and aquatic access programs. Partnership for POOL exhibition at Fairmount Water Works exploring water history and social justice.
• Office of Sustainability (City of Philadelphia)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCity agency collaboration on the Community Resilience and Environmental Justice (CREJ) Fund, awarding $30,000 grants to community organizations for environmental projects. Related to sustainability initiatives.
• American Water Works Association (AWWA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPWD presented AMI customer outreach findings at AWWA Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE) in Toronto, sharing learnings about customer communications and scheduling approaches with other water utilities.
• Fairmount Water WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterpretive center that leads PWD's education efforts, offering programs on water resources, watershed protection, and the history of Philadelphia's water system. Located at 640 Waterworks Dr., open Wed-Sat with free admission.
• Philadelphia Department of RevenuecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerManages water billing and accounts processing for PWD customers, including payment processing through the MyPhillyWaterBill system.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Essential Utilities (Aqua America): Investor-owned water and natural gas utility serving Pennsylvania and other states; directly comparable for Aqua Pennsylvania's Pennsylvania rate-base dynamics, AMI, and lead-line replacement economics relevant to PWD's service area.
• American Water Works Company (American Water): Largest US investor-owned water and wastewater utility; serves as the primary private-sector comparable for regulated water utility economics, AMI deployment, rate-base growth, and capital intensity benchmarks.
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP): Largest US municipal utility, providing water and power to Los Angeles; broader scope than PWD but highly comparable as a regulated municipal monopoly with large-scale AMI and infrastructure renewal programs.

Direct peers

• Boston Water and Sewer Commission: Independent quasi-municipal water and sewer utility serving Boston; comparable in size class, with shared Northeast climate, lead service line exposure, and integrated water/wastewater delivery.
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP): Largest US municipal water/wastewater utility serving ~8.4 million residents; operates drinking water and wastewater systems in a dense Northeast city with similar combined sewer, lead-line, and rate-board dynamics as PWD.
• DC Water (District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority): Regional water and wastewater authority serving the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions; operates a large advanced metering program, deep tunnel/CSO control program, and serves a comparable mid-Atlantic urban customer base.
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC): Municipal water, wastewater, and power utility serving San Francisco; comparable in scale, integrated-service model, and emphasis on sustainability programs analogous to Green City, Clean Waters.
• Chicago Department of Water Management: Municipal water utility serving Chicago; comparable large Midwest/Northeast municipal water provider with significant lead-line issues, AMI initiatives, and rate-board oversight.
• Baltimore City Department of Public Works: Municipal water, wastewater, and stormwater utility for Baltimore; comparable mid-Atlantic regulated monopoly with aging infrastructure, federal consent decree history, and affordability challenges similar to PWD.
• Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA): Pennsylvania-based water and sewer authority operating as a municipal authority; provides a direct in-state comparable for PWD's regulatory environment, lead-line remediation work, and rate-board dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PhillyH2O
• Instagraminstagram.com/phillyh2o
• Xx.com/PhillyH2O
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/philadelphia-water-department

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philadelphia Water Department