ASCE Philadelphia Section March Dinner Meeting: An Overview of the PWD Manayunk Canal Project (1 PDH)
Join us for our March Dinner Meeting where PWD will present an overview of their recent Manayunk Canal project.
The Flat Rock Dam and the associated Manayunk Canal were constructed in 1819 as part of the commercial navigation system operated by the Schuylkill Navigation Company along the Schuylkill River. When navigation operations ceased in 1947, the canal intake was bulkheaded, disconnecting the canal from the river. In the decades that followed, the canal relied primarily on stormwater outfalls from the Roxborough and Manayunk communities, resulting in stagnant conditions and significant ecological degradation.
In the early 2000s, the Philadelphia Water Department, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, initiated a project to stabilize the Flat Rock Dam intake and restore flow to the canal. This effort required innovative engineering, careful historic preservation, ecosystem restoration, and the coordination of alternative funding sources. After nearly two decades of planning, design, and permitting, the project was bid in 2021 at a cost of $16 million, with construction completed and flow successfully restored to the Manayunk Canal in the summer of 2025.
This event is good for one (1) PDH, and will include networking time, dinner, and two drink tickets.
David Weld, PE
Philadelphia Water Department, Design Unit, Manager
Focus: Water Main and Sewer Design, Green Stormwater Infrastructure Design, Water and Waster Treatment Facility Design.
MS/BSCE (Water Resources) – Drexel University 1999
Pete Reilly, PE
Philadelphia Water Department, Construction Unit, Division Engineer
Focus: Water main and Sewer Design, Green Stormwater Infrastructure Design, Natural Lands and Waterways Construction.
BSCE (Water Resources) – Drexel University 2008; BA from Trinity College (1997)
Lance Butler
Philadelphia Water Department, Office of Watersheds, Senior Aquatic Biologist BS Biology – Gettysburg College, MS Aquatic Biology – West Chester University, PhD in Progress – Drexel University
Focus: Biological Monitoring of City’s waterways, Freshwater Mussel Restoration in Urban Habitats
Maggiano's Little Italy
1201 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA 19107