Our Water Future | Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) is a publicly owned and operated water utility. This means that every dollar we receive is reinvested back into the water systems you rely on each day.

In recent years, PWSA has made tremendous progress to renew Pittsburgh’s water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure and since 2018, has invested approximately $524 million in capital improvements. Over the next five years, a total of approximately $1.8 billion is budgeted for much needed upgrades to critical infrastructure. This investment will improve drinking water quality, improve system reliability, maintain stormwater infrastructure, and meet all regulatory standards.

On May 9, 2023, PWSA filed a rate request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to support ongoing infrastructure improvements, provide needed resources to meet more stringent environmental and regulatory requirements, and address increasing energy and chemical costs related to inflation. These factors are substantially driving the need for the rate filing and if approved, will ensure ongoing investment to modernize our water systems and provide essential water, sewer, and stormwater services for current and future generations of customers.

Included in PWSA's Rate Proposal

PWSA has requested an overall rate increase of $146.1 million over three years. If the Authority’s entire request is approved, the total bill for water, wastewater conveyance, and stormwater management for a typical Residential customer using 3,000 gallons of water per month and charged the base rate for stormwater services would increase from $86.43 to $103.41 per month or by 19.6% in 2024. It would increase from $103.41 to $123.55 or by 19.5% in 2025 and increase from $123.55 to $146.12 or 18.3% in 2026.

The typical Residential customer enrolled in our low-income customer assistance Bill Discount Program using 3,000 gallons of water per month and charged the base rate for stormwater currently pays $44.15 per month under the existing rates. If the rate request is approved, this would change to $51.85 per month or by 17.5% in 2024. It would increase from $51.85 to $60.83 or by 17.3% in 2025 and increase from $60.83 to $72.17 or 18.7% in 2026.

The bill impacts do not include ALCOSAN charges for wastewater treatment. ALCOSAN is the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, located along the Ohio River, responsible for sewage treatment in Allegheny County. They are a separate entity responsible for setting their own rates. PWSA bills and collects on their behalf.

Expanded Customer Assistance Programs

In 2018, PWSA established a series of customer assistance programs designed to provide financial relief for income-qualified customers. These programs have since expanded and PWSA is committed to providing financial assistance for essential water services. The rate filing includes the following proposed enhancements for our Customer Assistance Programs:

Bill Discount Program

PWSA has proposed to increase income eligibility for the Bill Discount Program from 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 200% FPL. More than 6,000 customers are currently enrolled in the Bill Discount Program. It offers a variety of benefits including a 100% reduction on fixed monthly water and wastewater conveyance charges, a 50% discount on volumetric charges for very low-income customers, an 85% reduction on the stormwater fee, and payment plans to help customers reduce past due balances. Customers enrolled in the Bill Discount Program are automatically enrolled in the Winter Hardship Moratorium and they are required to recertify or confirm income eligibility every two years.

Hardship Grant Program

Also proposed are two separate $300 grants to be made available through the Hardship Grant Program. If approved, income-eligible customers could receive one $300 annual grant for water services and another $300 annual grant for wastewater services – increasing the total annual benefit to $600. Currently, income-eligible customers receive an annual $300 grant to pay down past due balances for water and wastewater charges. Since 2018, we have provided grants to more than 850 households and distributed over $200,000 in grants. If approved, the Hardship Grant Program would allocate two separate grants annually.

You can learn more about our customer assistance programs at www.pgh2o.com/CAP.

Stormwater Fee

In 2022, PWSA established a stormwater fee to equitably charge for stormwater services across Pittsburgh. It is included in the total bill amounts referenced above and is based on the amount of impervious or hard surfaces on a property. Our rate filing proposes incentivizing non-residential customers to retain runoff using green space, provided it can receive and treat runoff from ¾-inch of rain from their impervious surfaces. For residential customers, a one-time $40 credit, applied over time for the installation of at least a 50-gallon rain barrel, is also proposed.

In Pittsburgh, the average amount of impervious surface on a property is approximately 1,650 square feet. This is equal to one equivalent residential unit (ERU) of impervious surface, which is the unit of measure for calculating the stormwater fee and is accepted as the industry standard for determining a stormwater fee. The proposed monthly stormwater fees are shown in the table below:

Stormwater Monthly Rate	ERUs	2023	2024	2025	2026
Residential Tier 1: (>= 400 sf to < 1,015 sf)	.5	$3.98	$$5.13	$6.07	$7.10
Residential Tier 2: (>= 1,015 sf to < 2,710 sf)	1	$7.95	$10.26	$12.14	$14.20
Residential Tier 3: (>= 2,710 sf)	2	$15.90	$20.52	$24.28	$28.40
Non-residential	Per ERU	$7.95	$10.26	$12.14	$14.20

For more information about our plans to manage stormwater and the fee, please visit www.pgh2ostormwater.com.

Customer Impacts

Residential Customers

The typical Residential customers using 3,000 gallons of water per month with a 5/8-inch meter and generates stormwater runoff from 1 ERU currently pays $86.43 per month under the existing rates. If the rate proposal is approved, a customer’s bill would increase to 103.41 per month or by 19.6% in 2024, to $123.55 or by 19.5% in 2025, and to $146.12 or 18.3 % in 2026.

Current Rates 2023 - Residential Customers

Minimum Charges	Monthly Usage (1,000 gallons)	2023 Water	2023 Sewer	2023 Stormwater	2023 DSIC	2023 Total
5/8-inch	1	$26.52	$7.32	$7.95	$1.69	$43.48
5/8-inch	3	$55.80	$18.94	$7.95	$3.74	$86.43
5/8-inch	5	$85.08	$30.56	$7.95	$5.78	$129.37
5/8-inch	7	$114.36	$42.18	$7.95	$7.83	$172.32
5/8-inch	12	$187.56	$71.23	$7.95	$12.94	$279.68
1-inch	20	$321.68	$111.42	$7.95	$21.66	$462.71