It has been my pleasurable challenge, as a consultant to the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) since 1998, to try to piece together the fascinating history of the city's many lost watersheds. PWD has preserved its own archive of historical material, which is a rich source of information, and I have supplemented that base with research in local libraries, historical societies, archives and relevant departments of the city government. Besides many useful written records, I have uncovered a wide range of graphic material including paintings and drawings, maps and plans, photographs and surveys. This material stretches across the breadth of the city's long history, since changes were made in the landscape almost as soon as William Penn began building his new city along the Delaware River in 1682. The bottom line is that, over the course of several centuries, most of the city's surface streams have been channeled underground and incorporated into the city's 3,000 mile sewer system.

Click here to read the the illustrated handout, From Creek to Sewer: A Philadelphia Story, which I've prepared to accompany my lecture on this subject.

Click here to read my first article on the subject of sewers, Down Under: Or Why I Sould Have Worn a Raincoat. A 1997 cover story for a weekly Philadelphia newspaper, The City Paper, it provides an accurate if somewhat tongue-in-cheek overview of the city's system..

Click here to view a catalogue of sewer-related resources in Philadelphia City Archives, which I compiled in 1998; or a section of that report, my catalogue of Regulation of Ascents and Descents Books 1-3: Public Works Surveys 1815-1845, a page that includes links to images of several interesting surveys.

During 2003-04 I presented my "From Creek to Sewer" slide lecture at Connecticut College, Villanova University, University of Pennsylvania, Chestnut Hill College, Bryn Mawr College, Penn-Alexander School in West Philadelphia, the Main Line Book Club, and the Cain Conference of the Chemical Heritage Foundation. I have also done research and presentations on the history of Frankford Creek in Philadelphia, and the Cobbs Creek Watershed in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties. Contact me to schedule a presentation to your group or class.

I can provide information on tours of Philadelphia Water Department facilities, such as the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, sewage treatment and water treatment plants, and the PWD sewage sludge composting facility. I also have contacts with the PWD Office of Watersheds, which is involved in projects all over the city which may be of interest to students and teachers of environmental studies and other disciplines.

In 2001 I helped mount an exhibit--"Clean Water for Life"--which celebrates the 200-year history of the Philadelphia Water Department. The exhibit can be viewed at the Philadelphia Municipal Services Building, Mezzanine Level, 401 JFK Boulevard, during business hours, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. A digital version of this exhibit, with additional images and text links, has been completed, and I hope to be able to post the drainage section on this site.

Besides lecturing on the subject of sewers, city drainage systems, and historical changes in urban watersheds, I am available for consulting and research. I am well-versed in historical research (especially with Philadelphia area institutions and their resources) as well as an award-winning writer, with an extensive background in newspaper, book and magazine work. Please contact me to discuss specific projects.

Click here to read my Historical Survey of the Tacony Creek and Frankford Creek Watersheds in Philadelphia. Completed in 2002 under a contract with the Philadelphia Water Department/Office of Watersheds, the report is annotated with images and primary source information.

Current projects with the PWD/OW include historical surveys of the Philadelphia sections of the Darby-Cobbs and Pennypack Creek watersheds. I hope to parts of the Cobbs Creek project here later this year.