Water Quality

Our commitment to water quality extends to a population of more than 520,000 people throughout Pittsburgh and its surrounding region. Pittsburgh Water is the largest combined water and sewer authority in Pennsylvania, producing an average of 65 million gallons of water daily and providing drinking water to the majority of Pittsburgh.

Ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of drinking water to this population is our top priority. Our dedicated team members at the Water Treatment Plant and in our lab are constantly monitoring and measuring the quality of our drinking water, running roughly 3,000 tests each month to ensure that it meets (and even outperforms) all state and federal drinking water requirements.

As a result of these efforts, Pittsburgh’s drinking water quality is now better than it has ever been, and we have the facts to back it up! Visit our Water Quality & Treatment page for more information about our water treatment process, and to find and review our comprehensive Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports. These annual reports lay out the data, providing hard evidence of how our progress over the past several years has resulted in indisputable improvements to Pittsburgh's water quality.

Lead Line Replacement

There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, and Pittsburgh Water has worked tirelessly over the past several years to improve our water treatment and testing methods. Now, the drinking water delivered from our Water Treatment Plant consistently outperforms state and federal water quality standards. But the pipes through which your water is delivered play a role as well. That's why we are aggressively working to replace residential lead service lines throughout our service area.

Service lines are the small-diameter pipes that connect your home to our water mains. These lines are segmented into two parts: a public side owned by Pittsburgh Water, and a private side owned by the property owner. In Pittsburgh, many service lines were installed when lead was still a commonly used plumbing material, so it’s possible that your public side, private side, or both are made of lead.

We launched our Community Lead Response Program in 2016 to address this, and we’ve made tremendous progress. We’re working home-by-home to replace both public and private side lead lines at no direct cost to customers - and we won't stop until we reach every residence. Having already replaced nearly 13,000 lead lines and counting, Pittsburgh Water is on track to reach this critical goal by 2027, well ahead of the national mandate.

Even as we continue this important work, our customers can trust the safety of the water we deliver. Part of our water treatment process includes the addition of orthophosphate, a food-grade additive that's demonstrated to be very effective at reducing corrosion from pipes made of lead, among other materials. Tap in and learn more.

Infrastructure Investments

Our 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. We 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.

In recent years, pursuing state and federal funding has allowed us to reduce the financial burden on our ratepayers as we 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.

While we lay the groundwork for decades of reliable water and sewer services ahead, we're also actively working to improve water reliability for today's Pittsburghers. We continue to invest in upgrading the water mains and sewer systems that serve our communities every day, strengthening the water system each of us rely on.

For a complete breakdown of current infrastructure project updates, visit our Projects & Maintenance page.

Customer Assistance Programs

Pittsburgh Water knows that access to safe, affordable water is non-negotiable. That’s why our PGH2O Cares team is dedicated to working directly with customers to spread awareness of a variety of available resources, identify ways to reduce water usage, and bolster enrollment in our range of Customer Assistance Programs. These programs are designed to provide financial assistance and preserve water access for our most vulnerable community members. Customers who are unsure if they qualify are encouraged to contact our PGH2O Cares team, as we’ve recently expanded enrollment eligibility for many of our assistance and forgiveness programs. Newly proposed enhancements are currently being considered by the PA Public Utility Commission.

We also offer discount programs for qualified stormwater customers who take specific actions to mitigate runoff on their property. Our Stormwater Fee Credit Program and Rain Barrel Credit encourage the implementation of materials, tools, and rainscapes that better manage stormwater to reduce flood risk, all while offering monthly bill savings to residential customers.

In 2021, we embarked on a Strategic Planning Project intended to guide our priorities over the next five years. Through this project, we reaffirmed our commitments to the Pittsburgh community with the release of our organizational Mission, Vision, and Core Values in 2022.

It remains our Mission to support our region by protecting public health and the environment through the delivery of safe and reliable water services with a commitment to future generations. As stewards of a vital natural and public resource, Pittsburgh Water has a responsibility to ensure we’re delivering safe, reliable water services to our customers.

It remains our Vision to transform Pittsburgh’s water system while being recognized by our customers as a trusted service provider and a steadfast steward of a vital public asset.

Based, among other positive factors, on the results of our most recent Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted in 2024, it’s our sincere belief that we are living up to the commitments we made when laying out our Mission, Vision, and Core Values. The progress we’ve continued to make since then, and our demonstrated devotion to continue improving and strengthening Pittsburgh’s water system for generations to come, have led us to embark on this next chapter of Pittsburgh Water with you – the communities we serve.