Last year, Pittsburgh Water’s status as a public utility was set in stone by Pittsburgh voters with overwhelming support. I was pleased to see this powerful endorsement, which reaffirmed our community’s commitment to public stewardship of this life-essential utility. In short, this means that – as always – Pittsburgh Water answers to you: our community. With another successful year now behind us, we invite our community to join us in reflecting on the achievements and progress of 2025 in our Year in Review.
2025 was yet another year where Pittsburgh Water turned our commitments into real results for our customers. Lead levels in our drinking water are at historic lows, our Water Reliability Plan’s robust infrastructure investments are underway, and our team of deeply committed public servants are as focused as ever on delivering safe, reliable water services to our more than 500,000 neighbors.
Water quality is always our primary focus, and we had a lot to celebrate in this area last year. Lead levels in our water system were certified at just 2 parts per billion (ppb); the lowest level ever recorded by Pittsburgh Water, and a result significantly below the 15 ppb federal action level set by the EPA. And we’re not stopping there — we remain committed to replacing every residential lead service line in our system. Since launching our Community Lead Response in 2016, we’ve replaced more than 14,000 public-side and more than 10,500 private-side lead service lines at no direct cost to customers. We remain on track to replace every residential lead line by the end of next year, well ahead of many comparable American cities. This remarkable progress over the past decade was a major factor in the US Water Alliance’s decision to hold 2025’s One Water Summit in our city, with Pittsburgh Water’s ongoing improvements taking center stage at one of the water sector’s most prestigious gatherings.
2025 was also a big year for much-needed capital investments. We officially launched the construction phase of our $193 million ABC Project. Involving extensive construction and improvement projects at our Aspinwall Pump Station, replacement of our Bruecken Pump Station, and installation of a temporary bypass of our disinfection Clearwell, the ABC Project is the largest component of our comprehensive Water Reliability Plan (WRP). We also celebrated the Highland Reservoir Pump Station. Now substantially complete, the pump station is our first major new facility constructed in 20 years, and an important part of our WRP’s overall success. Once operational this spring, this new pump station will modernize and protect Pittsburgh’s drinking water system for decades to come.
Behind each of these achievements is our team of more than 400 devoted Pittsburgh Water employees. Safety is the foundation for a thriving workplace and greater organizational success; last year, we doubled-down on our commitment to worker safety with the launch of our Safe People, Safe Water program. This internal initiative, meant to instill organization-wide accountability and a standardized process for learning from safety incidents and near-misses, has already shown progress in achieving a safer, more efficient workplace culture.
In addition to highlighting major achievements, this annual report provides an overview of the work our team does all year long to maintain and modernize Pittsburgh’s water system. With an eye towards Pittsburgh’s water future, the report focuses on connecting 2025’s performance to the three strategic priority areas identified in our ongoing Strategic Plan: Infrastructure Investment, Customer Trust, and Organizational Capacity.
Between 2018 and 2025, Pittsburgh Water secured over $795 million in low-interest loans and nearly $116 million in grants through PENNVEST. This important funding source has enabled us to advance the critical infrastructure projects we discuss in this document while minimizing the financial burden on ratepayers. This and other alternative funding methods help support major upgrades to our water distribution system, lead service line replacements, water main improvements, and sewer rehabilitation.
As a public utility, every dollar we receive is put back into our water system, meaning we don't have shareholders and don't generate a profit. We work for you: it’s as simple as that.
That’s why we’re so proud to share with our stakeholders, customers, and partners our 2025 Year in Review. I encourage you to take this opportunity to see for yourself how our team is protecting our shared resources and reaching new heights in the delivery of safe, reliable water services now and for future generations.
Sincerely,
William J. Pickering
Chief Executive Officer