Lead Service Line Replacement Project Area in the Northside

To determine the optimal locations to find and replace lead service lines, PWSA has been assessing historical construction records, Census data, and blood lead records from the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). These data points are overlaid and weighted to ultimately determine which areas of the City contractors should inspect and replace lead lines, where found. 

Since 2018, this method has been used to plan construction work for basic lead service line, as well as water main replacements, which require the replacement of all attached services. 

Lead Service Line Replacements

District 1, in Pittsburgh’s Northside, met the criteria for several work areas, leading to hundreds of lead service line replacements in 2019 alone. 

• Total properties within designated work areas: 2,400
• Public lead service lines replaced: 832
• Private lead service lines replaced: 593

This work amounts to approximately $8.3 million investment in water quality improvement in the District. For more information on completed lead service line work in District 1, visit pgh2o.com/leadmap. 

Water Main Replacement on Massachusetts Avenue.

Water Main Replacements

In 2020, PWSA’s program is focused around water main replacement – we will also replace all old service lines attached to the main. We used the same metrics to find aging water mains where there are likely high concentrations of lead service lines attached. In 2020, the following water mains will be replaced in the Brighton Heights neighborhood of District 1:

• Massachusetts Avenue - ACTIVE
• Falck Avenue
• Fleming Avenue
• Hubbard Street
• Sipe Street

Work is scheduled to be completed in late fall of 2020. For more information, visit  pgh2o.com/BrightonHeightsWaterMains.

Sewer Lining and Repairs

In order to complete water main replacement on Massachusetts Avenue, PWSA crews had to first replace a portion of the sewer main. This aging portion of the main required excavation and replacement. This work was completed in early August, with water main replacement slated for completion in early November 2020. 

To avoid costly excavation and construction work, PWSA surveys its oldest sewers proactively to determine sites where sewer lining can occur. To line a sewer, crews install a cure-in-place liner inside the pipe, via manholes in the street. This liner adheres to the inside of the pipe, creating a new barrier where there may have been cracks. Recently, crews used this method to repair a portion of sewer on Perrysville Avenue at Franklin Road this way. 

For more information on work happening in District 1, and 
across the City of Pittsburgh, visit pgh2o.com/projects-maintenance.