Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority replaces over 18,000 lead service lines with federal infrastructure funding
(UI) – The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) was recognized for its use of federal infrastructure dollars to remove the risk of lead in drinking water during Vice President Kamala Harris and EPA Administrator Michael Regan's visit to Pittsburgh Tuesday. Their visit centered on the importance of reliable, safe drinking water and the impact the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has had on communities across the nation who are investing in water infrastructure.
The delegation visited a PWSA lead service line replacement site in a Pittsburgh neighborhood 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.
"Access to clean water is an infrastructure and public health matter, which is why the Biden Administration has prioritized this issue to ensure people have access to what they need to be healthy regardless of how much money they have in their back pocket," said Vice President Kamala Harris during her remarks at the Kingsley Association.
Since PWSA began its effort to remove the risk of lead in drinking water in 2016, it has replaced over 10,800 public and over 7,600 private lead service lines. There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, so PWSA's aggressive lead service line replacement program is the most effective approach to protecting water quality now, and for future generations.
To date, PWSA has received over $43 million in grants and over $23 million in low interest loans from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill for this essential work. Coupled with the tens of millions received in state funding since 2017, PWSA can expedite the replacement of lead service lines and are more than halfway to its goal of replacing all lead pipes by 2026.
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