Pie chart depicting the categories of over-the-counter permits issued in October 2020.
To understand PWSA permits, let’s start at the most basic with over-the-counter (OTC). The name is exactly the definition: permits that you can apply for and are issued over the counter without an extensive review. This month, we focus on three of the four permits issued separately from permits geared towards obtaining water and sewer service. They typically support a construction project and include a Waterline Shut permit, a Fire Hydrant Flow Test permit, and a Hydrant Use with Meter permit. The fourth OTC permit is a single-family home tap permit. We will discuss this permit more next month.
Waterline Shut Permits
These are issued in several different scenarios. Still the general purpose remains the same: the applicant is requesting to turn off a public water main to stop water flow to complete a type of work. This work could include roadway work by PennDOT or the City of Pittsburgh,water taps for new or renovated buildings, or water main relocations. Since March 2020, we have modified our procedures to ensure that waterline shut permits are issued in a way that impacts the least number of customers for the shortest amount of time. The changes underscore the vital role hygiene plays in slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Fire Hydrant Flow Test Permit
These are issued to customers looking to gain more information about the pressure within water mains in a specific area. Once issued, the applicant schedules a time to meet our operations crew to perform the test. PWSA staff operate the hydrant, and an independent third party conducts the test. The applicant uses this information to understand how to design fire suppression systems for a building. In the case of a high rise building, this information is used to understand if there is enough pressure to feed water to all floors. If there isn’t, a pump would need to be installed.
Fire Hydrant Use with Meter Permit
These are more commonly referred to as a construction meter, and allows the applicant to use a public fire hydrant as a water source for an extended period. Common scenarios are demolitions, site work, or concrete work. Applicants are responsible for protecting the meter and returning it to PWSA for a final reading when the project is complete. The final reading tells us how much water was used and how much to charge.
The team that works on issuing these permits is our Permit Counter staff. We have three engineering technicians that make up this team. We will dedicate a whole month to talk about how great they are, but for now, we’ll take a look at some impressive stats for their work with OTC permits:
Out of 328 total permits issued in 2020, OTC makes up 55%. 64% of the 182 OTC permits are flow tests, 26% are waterline shuts, and 10% are construction meters. The permit staff issued 24 OTC permits in October.
Learn more at pgh2o.com/developers-contractors-vendors/permits.
