Pittsburgh, PA – This week, Pittsburgh Water is recognizing United for Infrastructure's 13th annual Infrastructure Week, a national advocacy and educational event taking place from May 12-16. Across the country, businesses, utilities, labor organizations, and elected officials will unite to emphasize the importance of continued investments in essential infrastructure. This year’s Infrastructure Week theme is “Stronger Infrastructure, Stronger Nation: Innovate, Secure, Compete.”
"As stewards of a vital public resource, Pittsburgh Water is committed to securing reliable access to drinking water through ongoing investments in Pittsburgh’s water infrastructure,” said Pittsburgh Water CEO Will Pickering. “With much of our water infrastructure being nearly a century old, strategically prioritizing this work is critical to maintaining the quality and safety of drinking water for current and future generations of Pittsburgh families.”
Lead Service Line Replacements
Over the past several years, Pittsburgh Water has established itself as a regional and national leader in lead pipe remediation. Through a robust Community Lead Response Program, Pittsburgh Water is committed to replacing all residential lead lines in its water distribution system – both publicly and privately-owned – to improve water quality within their service area at no direct cost to customers.
Recent infusions of state and federal funding have reduced the financial burden on ratepayers, with over $433 million in grants and low-interest loans invested for lead and water main replacements. Pursuing alternative sources of funding has allowed Pittsburgh Water to expedite lead service line replacement projects, putting the organization on track to complete all residential service lines by 2027.
Water Reliability Plan
Pittsburgh Water’s ambitious Water Reliability Plan is a $470 million investment to modernize Pittsburgh’s water system through a series of strategic, generational investments in large-scale infrastructure improvement projects.
To date, Pittsburgh Water has completed lining and cover work at the covered Highland II Reservoir and rehabilitation and replacement for Rising Mains 3 & 4. The Highland Reservoir Pump Station, the first new, major Pittsburgh Water facility in 20 years, is currently under construction and is on-schedule for substantial completion later this year. Pittsburgh Water also recently awarded a $193 million contract to begin construction for the ABC Project, the next major component of the Water Reliability Plan. This project will renew key pumping capacity and treatment reliability, and prepare for the replacement of the 44-million-gallon disinfection basin known as the Clearwell.
Pursuing state and federal funding has allowed Pittsburgh Water to advance historic investments in building a resilient and strategically redundant water system to serve those living and working in Pittsburgh. The essential work being completed throughout the community is projected to create 2,463 jobs and an economic impact of $450,550,256 in the region by stimulating the local economy, supporting businesses in the region, creating meaningful job opportunities, and keeping money in local communities.
For more information about Pittsburgh Water’s investments in its water, sewer, and stormwater systems, please visit www.pgh2o.com/projects. For more information about United for Infrastructure, please visit unitedforinfrastructure.org. Follow @pgh2o and @United4Infra on X for event updates or by following the hashtag #InfrastructureWorks.
