Pittsburgh Water to participate in jobs and sustainability program

EPA-funded program will help create jobs while centering environmental sustainability.
Energy Innovation Center Institute

Pittsburgh Water is proud to announce our participation in a new training program designed to create career opportunities while working towards an environmentally sustainable future. Led by the Energy Innovation Center Institute (EICI) and Infrastructure Academy, the Innovative Water Workforce Development Grant Program will focus on both driving job creation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, appealing primarily to disadvantaged communities and those most in need. 

From over $20 million awarded to 13 organizations nationally, Pittsburgh’s EICI was awarded $4.9 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enact this program in partnership with Pittsburgh Water and several other regional organizations, including Aqua Pennsylvania and Ohio, Pennsylvania Rural Water Association, Pittsburgh Works Together, and The National Safety Council. 

Through the new program, emissions and efficiency audits for several drinking water and wastewater plants in disadvantaged or historically underserved communities will be conducted. Once the audits are completed, training programs will be developed to create a strong pipeline of skilled and diverse workers. In total, 145 people from disadvantaged communities will be recruited, vetted, trained, and then placed in plants across PA and OH.

In addition to job creation, the program aims to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon and other pollutants at drinking water and wastewater plants. 

Pittsburgh Water has taken big steps to reaffirm our commitment to environmental sustainability in recent years. Operationally, we’ve started including sustainability-focused metrics in contracts for facility and construction work. In 2023, we committed that a significant portion of our energy consumption would be powered by wind and other renewable sources in collaboration with the Western PA Energy Consortium. This group is also working with the PA Solar Center to assess the potential for dedicated solar panel installations at our Water Treatment Plant.

Read more here.