Philadelphia Water Department distributed an average of 228.9 million gallons a day in FY 2024, about 42% of the 546 MGD its three drinking water plants are rated to treat. Even the FY 2018 maximum day of 301.0 MGD used about 55% of that capacity.
Losses after treatment
The strain shows up once water leaves the plants. In FY 2019, the latest audited water balance, non-revenue water reached 92.4 mgd, or 41.7% of the 221.7 mgd supplied. Real losses were 69.9 mgd, and the Infrastructure Leakage Index stood at 9.7. The City's bond disclosures put the five-year average main break rate at 24.1 breaks per 100 miles a year, against an AWWA optimal level of 15.
The pace of renewal
PWD renewed 37 miles of water mains in FY 2025 and has set a target of at least 32 miles a year for FY 2026 and FY 2027. The network runs to about 3,200 miles, so at the FY 2025 pace a full renewal cycle would take about 86 years. Sewer renewal reached 9 miles in FY 2025; PWD's target for FY 2026 and FY 2027 is at least 14 miles a year. Crews repaired 981 water main breaks in FY 2025.
Rivers are not the limit
Supply is not the binding constraint. The state allocation permit, valid to September 2041, allows withdrawals of up to 423 MGD from the Delaware River and up to 258 MGD from the Schuylkill River. About 56.8% of the city's water now comes from the Delaware.
Whether losses have moved since FY 2019, how PWD's proposed US$4,731.85 million capital program for FY 2026 to FY 2031 divides between plants and pipes, and which regulatory deadlines fall first are set out in the full report. The full report, Water Systems Overview: Philadelphia Water Department, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the Philadelphia Water Department Utility Snapshot.