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Pennsylvania / Waters /

Tacony Creek

Stream in Pennsylvania, past Cheltenham and Philadelphia

Current status

Discharge or advisory reported

A discharge is reported as ongoing, a post-discharge period applies, or an official advisory is listed. Open the report for its source, dates and advice. This status since . Why this status, and its source

This status counts every report affecting this water, including discharges arriving from upstream.

This badge describes the water outline. Check the downstream stretches on the map and below for discharge statuses.

Map sources: water outlines and launches from OpenBoatLaunch and OpenStreetMap contributors (Open Database License); wastewater outlets from EPA and state records; downstream estimates by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey maps and flow data. Base map: OpenFreeMap and OpenMapTiles.

Solid dots mark combined sewer outfalls. A yellow ring with a dashed edge means discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received. Dashed river stretches are estimates.

Rain expected: 0.51 in forecast in the next 24 hours (NWS forecast issued Nov 5, 2026, 4:07 PM EST); discharges here have begun at 0.1 in. A forecast, not a report.

Check PHILA WATER DEPT - NORTHEAST WPC PLANT's notices · Bookmark this water page and check it before each trip · Report a missing notice or error

About this status

Discharge or advisory reported: discharge reported as ongoing; shown while reported ongoing, up to 7 days without an end (site rule). 8.4 in of rain fell in the 24 hours to Nov 6, 2026, 3:00 AM EST at PHILA WATER DEPT - NORTHEAST WPC PLANT's outfalls (NOAA radar estimate).

Source: NOAA National Weather Service, MRMS radar-only rainfall estimate, valid Nov 6, 2026, 3:00 AM EST, retrieved 2026-11-06 08:57 UTC; threshold: site default; rule: How it works, discharge likely or possible. · Updated

Reports behind this status

Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system.

Reports behind the status of Tacony Creek, newest first
WhenReportStatus
Philadelphia Water Department · T_01 Cheltenham Ave and Greenwood Ave · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 13, 12:55 AM

Sources: Philadelphia Water Department CSOcast, retrieved 2026-11-06 08:47 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Advice in the reports

Philadelphia Water Department CSOcast (pilot) · Nov 6, 2026 · Current status: sets this water's status now

“Waterways where a combined sewer outfall is overflowing are unsafe for any type of recreation, and may remain unsafe for recreation for a period of up to 72 hours following storm events, particularly in the Delaware and tidal Schuylkill rivers.”

Estimated downstream stretches on Tacony Creek

5 estimated stretches from 1 outlet

Estimated downstream stretch — not checked by water sampling. Estimated by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements; not an official advisory area. This estimates water movement, not bacteria levels.

  • Discharge or advisory reported 0 to 7.1 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 7.1 kilometres below the outlet · from Philadelphia Water Department, outlet T_01

    Estimated travel time from outlet T_01: about 7 hours, or as little as 4 hours. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • Discharge or advisory reported 7.1 to 7.9 kilometres below the outlet

    7.1 to 7.9 kilometres below the outlet · from Philadelphia Water Department, outlet T_01

    Estimated travel time from outlet T_01: about 7 hours, or as little as 4 hours. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • Discharge or advisory reported 7.9 to 12.7 kilometres below the outlet

    7.9 to 12.7 kilometres below the outlet · from Philadelphia Water Department, outlet T_01

    Estimated travel time from outlet T_01: about 12 hours, or as little as 6 hours. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • Discharge or advisory reported 12.7 to 12.9 kilometres below the outlet

    12.7 to 12.9 kilometres below the outlet · from Philadelphia Water Department, outlet T_01

    Estimated travel time from outlet T_01: about 12 hours, or as little as 7 hours. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • Discharge or advisory reported 12.9 to 18.7 kilometres below the outlet

    12.9 to 18.7 kilometres below the outlet · from Philadelphia Water Department, outlet T_01

    Estimated travel time from outlet T_01: about 16 hours, or as little as 9 hours. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

    Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal. Below this point water moves with the tide and wind, so we do not estimate where the discharge goes. Read the original notice and local beach or shellfish advisories.

Estimated routes below wastewater outlets

7 routes below outlets
  • Caution Permit PA0026689, outlet 028 · 18.849 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal
  • Caution Permit PA0026689, outlet 029 · 6.565 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal
  • Caution Permit PA0026689, outlet 030 · 6.161 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal
  • Caution Permit PA0026689, outlet 031 · 6.12 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal
  • Caution Permit PA0026689, outlet 032 · 5.847 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal
  • Caution Permit PA0026689, outlet 059 · 6.338 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal
  • Discharge or advisory reported Outlet · 18.689 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops where the river becomes tidal

Source: DirtyWaterWatch estimates using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements. The estimate stops at tidal water, the first lake or the distance limit.

The last 90 days

Last 90 days, hour by hour. Red: discharge or advisory reported. Amber: caution. Hatched amber: end not confirmed. Plum: algal bloom advisory. Red or amber with a light line inside: beach advisory or caution. Dotted: monthly report (days with discharge, dates not given). Grey: no current status on the water outline. Purple hatching: a status resting on a source that could not be checked on schedule.
  • Discharge or advisory reported: to the latest update
    1 report: Philadelphia Water Department 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received: to
    Radar estimate, no report received: heavy rain at the outlets of PHILA WATER DEPT

Source: DirtyWaterWatch calculations using the reports named above and the published status rules. Updated 2026-11-06 09:03 UTC.

Reported discharges over time

  • Discharges affecting the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania, last 12 months11 affecting this stretch: 1 reported on the Tacony Creek; none arriving from upstreamDecember 2025 to November 2026Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once. Arriving discharges are estimated from modeled downstream reaches.
  • Days with a discharge affecting the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania, last 12 months1Reported on the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania: 1 · Arriving from outfalls upstream, estimated: 0 (counted apart; together they need not equal the total)December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status on the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania, last 12 months3Reported on the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania: 3 · Arriving from outfalls upstream, estimated: 0December 2025 to November 2026Red hours by the map's rules: each discharge to its reported end plus the state's post-discharge period; overlapping hours count once.
  • Records behind the last-90-days strip for the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania2Reported on the Tacony Creek in Pennsylvania: 1 · Arriving from outfalls upstream, estimated: 0 · Other records (rain-likely and similar): 1last 90 daysEvery distinct record the strip lists for its red, yellow and unresolved hours, notices and unresolved reports included; counted as the strip counts them.

Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps. Blended discharge: wastewater that skipped some treatment is mixed with treated wastewater. Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Reported discharges per month

1 reported discharge, January 2022 to November 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other
  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

No tracked source covers January 2022 to April 2022.

Source: pa-phila-csocast. Records cover November 6, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per month

Hours when this water had a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

No tracked source covers January 2022 to April 2022.

Source: pa-phila-csocast. Records cover November 6, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Days with a reported discharge per month

A day counts when any counted discharge was under way on it, from its start to its reported end in Eastern Time; a report with no end counts its start day.

  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

No tracked source covers January 2022 to April 2022.

Source: pa-phila-csocast. Records cover November 6, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per year

Hours with a discharge or advisory status each year under DirtyWaterWatch rules; 2026 to date.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Source: pa-phila-csocast. Records cover November 6, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by calendar month, all years

Every counted discharge report, by the calendar month it began.

Months are summed over every year a tracked source covers; the table gives the number of years behind each month.

Source: pa-phila-csocast. Records cover November 6, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by wastewater outlet

Wastewater outlets with the most tracked discharge records: 1 of 1, all years. Counts depend on reporting coverage and do not measure legal compliance or harm.

Source: pa-phila-csocast. Records cover November 6, 2026 to November 6, 2026.

Show table
How these charts are counted

We count each discharge once. Where a source publishes notices and confirmed reports, we use confirmed reports for an operator's month when available; otherwise we use notices. We combine revisions and exclude duplicate state reports copied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and yearly totals appear separately. Status hours follow this site's rules. Shaded gaps mean missing coverage, not zero discharges.

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records: records from May 3, 2022 to the latest update (limited records)
  • pa-phila-csocast: records from November 6, 2026 to the latest update

Reports linked to Tacony Creek

Reports linked to Tacony Creek, newest first
WhenReportStatus
Philadelphia Water Department · T_01 Cheltenham Ave and Greenwood Ave · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 13, 12:55 AM

Download these reports as CSV

All reports in Pennsylvania by year: 2026 (1 here)

Wastewater outlets on this water

Combined sewer outfalls

6 outfalls · discharge possible now at 6

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received at 6 outfalls now: radar rainfall has reached the operator's threshold and no discharge report has arrived (NOAA radar estimate).

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) national combined sewer outfall inventory (ECHO) and state outfall layers. Open or closed as EPA's inventory lists it. DirtyWaterWatch links outlets to waters using permit numbers, locations and names.

Sewer operators listed for this water: PHILA WATER DEPT - NORTHEAST WPC PLANT.

Boat launches

No public boat launch is listed in our records for this water.

Nearby waters

Sources covering this water

1 record linked to this water. Updated .