The Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) works for you, our communities. It’s as simple as that. Each day, our hardworking, local team of more than 400 public servants does their part to protect community health and the environment through the delivery of safe and reliable water services.
That service is essential for the health and well- being of all our neighbors. In other words, water and the infrastructure that enables its distribution are things too important to not seriously steward and protect.
At PWSA, we’re modeling a clear vision for the future, and we have a plan to get there. At the end of the day, our initiatives to upgrade our infrastructure and modernize our water distribution system will provide you with more secure and reliable water services now and in the future.
“Model” is a great word to kick off this Year in Review report. A variety of recent reports, awards, kudos, and invitations to speak at industry events applaud PWSA for being a model and industry leader for our lead remediation efforts, water quality, and safety.
Last year, we replaced our 10,000th lead service line and celebrated record low levels of detection in routine lead testing. We’re maintaining our goal of replacing all lead lines in our system by 2026. Our most recent Water Quality Report shows that the drinking water we produce meets and exceeds all regulatory requirements, meaning the water you use has a clean bill of health and is of the highest quality.
Since 2022, we’ve made continuous progress on our Water Reliability Plan – our once-in-a- generation projects that will transform Pittsburgh’s water infrastructure – recently breaking ground on the Highland Reservoir Pump Station in the spring of 2024.
As we complete more of these projects, customers will experience fewer service disruptions that may have caused boil water advisories in the past.
To accelerate these critical projects while reducing the cost to ratepayers, we pursue external funding from state and federal sources. Last year, we received more than $150 million in new low- interest loans and $22 million in grant funding, helping us stretch ratepayer dollars and keep rates as low as possible. To help protect our most vulnerable customers, we enhanced our Customer Assistance Programs, making them available to more customers and offering expanded benefits that will help lower their water bill.
As a non-profit, publicly owned and operated water authority, every dollar we receive is reinvested back into our water system. For us at PWSA, it’s about service, not profit – we don’t have shareholders and we work for you.
We're proud to share with our stakeholders, customers and partners our 2023 Year in Review. I encourage you to see for yourself how we’re protecting our shared resources and reaching new heights in the delivery of safe, reliable water services now and for generations.
Sincerely,
William J. Pickering
Chief Executive Officer