Since 2022, workers have turned an illegal dump in FDR Park into a 33-acre wetland with 7,000 trees

A major change in South Philadelphia has won state recognition. Workers turned an abandoned, illegal dumping site into a thriving tidal wetland. Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection named the FDR Park Tidal Wetland project a winner of the 2026 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. The award honors its role in building healthier and more sustainable local communities. The 33-acre project sits in the south-western corner of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park. It was carried out through a partnership between Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and the Philadelphia Department of Aviation. Work on the site began in 2022. Crews cleared decades of dumped trash, fill material, and thick patches of invasive plants. They then built working tidal channels that connect to local waterways. To create the new habitat, workers planted 7,000 native trees, along with thousands of native shrubs and coastal grasses. By 2026, the new wetland was working as a key piece of natural infrastructure. It was designed to soak up extra stormwater, filter pollution, trap sediment, and store carbon.Transforming a neglected urban cornerBefore construction bega...