Fairmount Water Works

Situated on the east bank of the Schuylkill River between historic Boat House Row and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Fairmount Water Works opened its doors in 1815 as the sole water pumping station for the City of Philadelphia.

The Fairmount Water Works celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2015 with a series of special events including a free public kick-off celebration, music and dance performances, art installations, yoga classes, and a Bicentennial Brunch gala.

Over the next 25 years, the FWW will be the leading repository for urban watershed research and data associated with PWD’s innovative green management solutions to treat storm water as a precious resource and to restore our rivers and streams to clean, safe, fishable, swimmable and beautiful amenities. This EPA-approved pioneering model of Philadelphia as an outdoor laboratory in monitoring the effectiveness of these new tools has national and global significance.

The mission of the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center is to foster stewardship of our shared water resources by encouraging informed decisions about the use of land and water.

Fairmount Water Works is now a member of the Venice-based Global Network of Water Museums whose members span the globe: https://www.watermuseums.net/