Philadelphia’s century-old sewer and stormwater system is buckling under increased rainfall, leaving homeowners across the city with flooded basements and fraying patience as they wait for fixes from the water department.
The city has roughly 72,000 stormwater inlets, about one for every 20 residents. But ordinary debris like leaves, dirt and trash can clog them, and some have been sealed shut by repaving projects that raised street levels above the curb-built drains, the Philadelphia Water Department said. After 16 consecutive months of below-normal precipitation, regular rain returned in July and August and brought flooding with it.
Sealed drains, rising water in West Mount Airy
In West Mount Airy, Arielle Wolfson, 37, said roads near her home “become a river” during storms. She and her wife, Kelsey Hensley, live at the bottom of a hill near the intersection of Mount Pleasant Avenue and Cresheim Road, where five stormwater inlets are supposed to keep rainfall from rushing downhill. For years, only one has been fully functioning, Wolfson said. City repaving projects had effectively sealed the others.
When ankle-deep water slopes into an alleyway connecting Wolfson’s home and nearly 30 others, it often floods her basement. Hensley said their routine storm calculation is simple: “Do we go out with some friends, or do we stay home to monitor the basement?”
Wolfson said she discovered earlier this month that asphalt had finally been removed from three of the closed inlets, plus others further up Cresheim Road. But she and Hensley said they wish the city would communicate timelines instead of offering silence or ambiguity.
“It’s expensive, and it’s just frustrating because, in my mind, this is a pretty easily solvable issue,” Wolfson said.
Backwater valve delays in Fairmount
Clogged inlets are only part of the problem. Mary Catherine Doyle, 56, and more than 10 of her neighbors along the 2900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in Fairmount experienced significant basement flooding after storms on July 5. Rainfall, debris and sewage destroyed Doyle’s home office, bathroom and furniture, she said.
Her insurance covered the cleanup but required her to install a backwater valve, which lets wastewater out of a home but seals to prevent water from coming back up through pipes. The water department runs a basement backup protection program that offers free valve installation. Doyle and her neighbors applied after the storm, but a contractor did not show up until Aug. 12.
Doyle said the department blamed the delays at various points on lost physical paperwork, understaffing and a commissioner who was on vacation.
“I don’t understand where I’m living. I can buy a house in Arizona electronically, but I have to wait … days for someone to come here,” she said.
72,000 inlets and a warming climate
Residents submitted almost 3,000 requests to the city’s 311 line for inlet cleanings last year, an Inquirer data review found. Since Mayor Cherelle L. Parker took office in 2024, the city has closed those requests in under four days on average. But 311 data may not capture the full scope, since some residents report issues directly to the water department.
City spokesperson Sharon Gallagher said the department regularly checks all sewer drains and clears those that are clogged. She encouraged residents to help clear inlets before storms arrive.
“Teams are constantly working to design and construct additional projects that will increase capacity and help manage water from the increased intensity of seasonal storms,” Gallagher said.
The Delaware River has risen roughly a foot since the sewer system was built, and as the climate continues to warm, the stress on Philadelphia’s flood-prone infrastructure is expected to grow.