Vice President & EPA Administrator Highlight PWSA’s Work Protecting Public Health in Recent Visit to Pittsburgh

PWSA welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael Regan back to Pittsburgh, highlighting the importance of safe drinking water and investing in water infrastructure.
Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael Regan with PWSA contractors.

Since 2016, PWSA has delivered on our mission to protect public health, replacing more than 10,800 public-side and over 7,600 private ones through our Community Lead Response program. Our work on this front has been so successful that we’ve been recognized as an industry leader in lead line replacements, consulting with water utilities and governments across the country on best-practices for their programs.

We’ve also caught the eyes of government officials at the highest levels. Earlier this month, we welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan back to Pittsburgh, where they highlighted the importance of safe drinking water and applauded organizations, like PWSA, who are using Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL) funds to invest in water infrastructure.  The delegation visited a PWSA lead service line replacement site in Elliott for an intimate look at how lead pipes are removed from our drinking water system.

Vice President Harris also spoke at the Kingsley Association where, in nearby neighborhoods, PWSA has replaced hundreds of lead service lines, delivering on our mission to protect public health in the communities we serve.

Vice President Kamala Harris visits a PWSA job site where contractor removed lead service lines in Pittsburgh’s West End. Vice President Kamala Harris visits a PWSA job site where contractor removed lead service lines in Pittsburgh’s West End.

Federal funding has allowed us to accelerate the pace of replacements and reduce the burden placed on our ratepayers for this costly endeavor. To date, PWSA has received over $43 million in grants and over $23 million in low-interest loans from the BIL for this essential work. Coupled with the tens of millions of dollars received in state funding since 2017, we can expedite the replacement of lead service lines and are more than halfway to replacing all lead pipes by 2026. 

Using these funds while they are available has been a top priority for PWSA, as grant money allows for work to be done at no direct cost to our customers, and low interest loans allow for millions in 
savings over time compared to traditional municipal bonds.

Read more: Lead levels continue to trend low.