
On the Delaware, a promising new era in cleanup of an urban river - chmaynard
https://e360.yale.edu/features/on-the-delaware-a-promising-new-era-in-cleanup-of-an-urban-river
======
tomphoolery
> The city is concerned that upgrading cleanliness standards would require
> investments that would lead to higher water rates.

For anyone reading that isn't from around here, water is by far the cheapest
possible utility in Philadelphia. Typically less than $20/month for even large
scale usage. If that even doubles it will still be an order of magnitude less
than what anyone in the city pays for electric and gas.

~~~
teachrdan
Nit: If it doubles, the price will be $40. An order of magnitude greater is
$400. Does anyone pay remotely that much for electric and gas?

~~~
anonAndOn
You might be surprised to find that there are lots of McMansions in the desert
that cost this much to keep cool in the summer.

------
QuesnayJr
I grew up in Philadelphia, not very far from the Delaware, and it's weird to
look back and think of how little mind-space the river takes up. It's just the
thing you need to cross to go to New Jersey. The Schuylkill looms much larger.

~~~
mundiff
I'd agree with this only because the Schuylkill has better access and
recreation. One of the things the article ties together well is Philly's aging
sewer system, which, during heavy rains gets overwhelmed and spits raw sewage
into the rivers.

I've taken note of the mitigation efforts of "rain gardens" and such around
the city. Sometimes there's just a series of ditches next to the sidewalk. The
series around the Zoo caught my eye, like "why is this here?". But the city
did a great job putting plants in there and making it look pretty as well as
functional.

One of the things I've noticed, especially during heavy rain is the crazy
amount of plastic bottles that end up in the rivers, which then go to the
ocean. We really need to do a better job with that, as individuals and in
infrastructure like better sewer grates.

It's also interesting in that these green initiatives are helping kick the can
down the road on major replacement/bettering of the sewer infrastructure. Both
need to be done, but progress is progress. Happy Friday everyone!

~~~
madcaptenor
I think part of this is because the Delaware is wide enough to be a divider -
you can't comfortably walk across it, for example. (If I recall correctly only
one of the Philadelphia-area bridges even has pedestrian access.) The
Schuylkill, on the other hand, is easy to cross.

------
Cactus2018
Random etymology

> The state was named after the Delaware River, which in turn derived its name
> from Thomas West, 3rd Baron _De La Warr_ (1577–1618) who was the ruling
> governor of the Colony of Virginia at the time Europeans first explored the
> river. The Delaware people, a name used by Europeans for Lenape people
> indigenous to the Delaware Valley, also derive their name from the same
> source.

