Skip to main content

NOTICE

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our downtown office at 1200 Penn Avenue is closed until further notice.

Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority

Home
  • Residential & Commercial Customers
    • Residential & Commercial Customers Overview
    • Account & Billing Info
    • Rates
    • Service Changes
    • Buying or Selling Property
    • Billing & Community Assistance Programs
    • Pipe Ownership
    • Backflow Device Testing
    • Tips, Maintenance & Prevention
  • Developers, Contractors & Vendors
    • Developers, Contractors & Vendors Overview
    • Bids & Opportunities
    • Supplier Diversity Program
    • Permits
    • Developer's Manual & Standard Details
  • Projects & Maintenance
    • Projects & Maintenance Overview
    • Service Outages
    • Search All Projects
    • Planning & Future Projects
    • Construction Projects
    • Common Issues & Questions
  • Your Water
    • Your Water Overview
    • Water
    • Sewer
    • Stormwater
    • Our Service Area
    • Water Quality & Treatment
    • Lead Information
    • Educational Resources & Videos
    • National Water Sector Events
  • About Us
    • About Us Overview
    • Board & Board Meetings
    • Our Team
    • Careers
    • Finance
    • Our History
    • Rules & Regulations
    • Performance Metrics
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • News & Events Overview
    • Currents Newsletter
    • Press Releases
    • Events & Meetings
  • Search

What can we help you find?

Report an Issue Pay a Bill
Don't have an account?
Sign up now
Other ways to pay
Don't have an account?
Sign up now
Learn how to set up usage alerts

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. News & Events
  3. Newsletter & Press
  4. Currents Newsletter
  5. Entering 2020 With a Healthier System

Entering 2020 With a Healthier System

01/24/2020
Our diligent team of professionals spent 2019 making crucial water, sewer, and stormwater upgrades to provide a higher quality of service to our customers.
PWSA's Mission Pump Station in the South Side PWSA's Mission Pump Station in the South Side

With over $100 million invested in our infrastructure, 2019 was our most productive year ever, and we’re poised to continue to deliver for our customers in 2020.  

Sewer Improvements 

Our sewer system has served us well for over a century, but we must begin to rehabilitate these pipes to avoid dangerous situations like backups or flooding. In 2019, we lined nearly five miles of sewer, which adds decades of life to the line by creating a new barrier, or sleeve, inside the old pipe. Additionally, over 1,700 storm drains were cleaned and 800 were replaced, ensuring that our sewers can properly channel stormwater away from streets, homes, and businesses around the city. We will line an additional 16 miles of sewers in 2020. 

Water System Rehabilitation

We worked to rehabilitate some of our larger water facilities, like the Lanpher Reservoir that serves the northern neighborhoods Pittsburgh. We’re also working to return the Microfiltration Plant in Highland Park back into service, which serves many of our customers in the east end of the city. Ultraviolet disinfection systems have been installed and we will continue our project to upgrade the walkway, wall, and railing around the open reservoir in Highland Park. Continuing our progress into 2020, we’re also busy designing over 15 miles of new water mains. 

New Solutions to Stormwater Issues

Our approach to stormwater challenges is dynamic, as there is not a single solution for every neighborhood. We’re collecting data on the pattern of flooding, basement backups, and geological shifts caused by the increased number of heavy storm events. In 2019, we implemented stream bank restorations in Brookline, rain gardens in Carrick, and stormwater sensors in Four Mile Run to help us manage excess water naturally. We are currently designing 24 projects, some of which will begin in 2020, all in effort to reduce the negative effects of increased stormwater in the area. These projects will help reduce pollution in our waterways and improve public health and safety for our customers. 

A Stronger PWSA

These crucial improvements to our water, sewer, and stormwater systems require investment from our customers. This also means we need improvements to our assistance programs that make our services affordable for all customers. We continued to expand and promote all our income assistance programs and will continue to learn from experts and water providers around the country to create the best assistance programs possible.   

With a successful 2019 behind us, we look forward to continuing to improve and taking on new challenges in 2020. To follow our progress, visit pgh2o.com/projects-maintenance and     headwaters.pgh2o.com

Print This Page
Share
  • email
  • twitter
  • facebook

Related Newsletters

Crews replacing a lead service line

Newsletter

A Rewarding Journey: Deliberate steps to reduce lead levels

01/29/2021 -
PWSA describes what it took to bring lead levels into compliance
PWSA Chief Executive Officer, Will Pickering

Newsletter

Director's Cut: Increasing Capital Spending

01/29/2021 -
CEO Will Pickering describes why increased capital spending is a positive step in Pittsburgh's water future

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Media Kit & Contacts

Media Kit


24/7 Media Line
412-430-3898
 

PGH2O

Contact Us

412-255-2423
Report an Emergency Press 1
Customer Service Press 5

Send us a Message

1200 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Follow Us

Footer First Column

  • Check Your Usage
  • Update Your Contact Info
  • Careers
  • Service Outages
  • Rules & Regulations

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Footer Second Column

  • Residential & Commercial Customers
  • Developers, Contractors & Vendors
  • Projects & Maintenance
  • Your Water
  • About Us
  • News & Events
Copyright © 2021 Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
Powered by Interpersonal Frequency I.F. Logo