The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority provides service to more than 465,000 customers throughout the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. We are the largest combined water, sewer, and stormwater authority in Pennsylvania. Our Environmental Compliance program is being developed as the foundation of PWSA’s commitment to operating in accordance not only with the strict requirements of the law, but also in a manner that is consistent with high ethical and professional standards in the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services to our customers.
In September 2021, a federal judge accepted the plea agreement PWSA negotiated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice related to Clean Water Act violations dating back to 2016 and 2017. This final step in the legal process means that we’re owning up to our past failures and moving forward as a utility that is focused on serving our customers and protecting the environment. PWSA is equipped with the resources, the dedicated leadership, and the fortitude to ensure that we move beyond past mistakes and forge a culture that prioritizes ethical behavior with a focus on environmental compliance. This culture change will help protect the environment and ensure PWSA continues to provide high-quality water services to the City of Pittsburgh and our neighbors.
About Environmental Compliance
Environmental Compliance Program
PWSA's Environmental Compliance Program consists of organization-wide policies (Ethics, Conduct, Training), as well as a specific Environmental Compliance Manual for the PWSA Water Production System
PWSA’s Environmental Compliance Manual is used to manage and demonstrate water quality and environmental compliance for PWSA’s water production system including the Aspinwall Water Treatment Plant (WTP), Highland Park Membrane Filtration Plant (MFP), pump stations, reservoirs, and storage tanks. The Manual covers the production of drinking water, disposal of wastes generated during water production, storage and management of chemicals used in water production, permitted stormwater and wastewater discharges, and monitoring and reporting to regulatory agencies. The manual is utilized by PWSA staff during the day-to-day operations of these facilities to meet our compliance obligations.
The manual currently does not cover PWSA’s water distribution system or our wastewater or stormwater assets; however, we are in the process of expanding the Environmental Compliance Manual to cover all of these assets by 2023.
Environmental Compliance Audit
PWSA has engaged an independent Environmental Auditor who has followed accepted environmental auditing techniques, procedures, and policies in designing and executing an environmental compliance audit of the Aspinwall Water Treatment Plant. PWSA will annually conduct this independent audit to help confirm the effectiveness of the Environmental Compliance Manual, identify compliance issues, and improve our compliance policies and procedures.
We encourage PWSA customers to read our 2022 Environmental Compliance Audit Report in order to learn more about our environmental compliance efforts and areas where we continue to improve.
Environmental Compliance Reports
Use the links below to view and download our current reports. To request a hard copy of an Environmental Compliance Audit Report, please complete a Right-to-Know Request.
| Annual Environmental Compliance Audit Reports | Corrective Action Reports |
|---|---|
| 2022 Environmental Compliance Audit Report | 2022 Corrective Action Report |
Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports
Visit our Water Quality & Treatment page for information on our Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports, which provide specific information on drinking water production and quality.