Pittsburgh, PA - October 16, 2025
Pittsburgh Water continues its investment in local neighborhoods with a $77.74 million PENNVEST funding award to remove hundreds of lead service lines, replace decades-old water mains, and improve water reliability for thousands of customers. With this latest financing infusion, Pittsburgh Water continues to progress towards its goal to remove all residential lead service lines from Pittsburgh neighborhoods by 2027.
The funding will directly support the removal of 562 public lead service lines and 482 private lead lines, as well as replacing nearly 53,000 feet of aging water mains, in neighborhoods including the West End, Elliott, Crafton Heights, Troy Hill, Hazelwood, the South Side Flats, and the South Side Slopes. This funding package comes in the form of a $7,278,323 grant, which will not need to be paid back to PENNVEST, as well as $70,462,109 as a low-interest loan, totaling $77,740,432. Compared to traditional financing through municipal bonds, this PENNVEST award is projected to save Pittsburgh Water an estimated $98,050,292 over 30 years, significantly reducing the burden on ratepayers.
"Since 2018, PENNVEST’s grants and low-interest loans have accelerated the replacement of lead lines and aging water mains, while helping to ease the financial burden on our customers," said Pittsburgh Water CEO Will Pickering. “This partnership is critical to reaching our goal of replacing every residential lead line by 2027. We’re deeply grateful for PENNVEST’s continued support and investment in Pittsburgh’s water future.”
The investment in Pittsburgh Water’s infrastructure brings meaningful economic benefits to Pittsburgh’s local and regional economy. It is estimated that the engineering and construction activity associated with the replacement of water mains and removal of lead service lines will generate over $126 million in regional economic impact and support an estimated 571 jobs, including impacts directly related to the project, generated through business-to-business purchases, and stimulated by supply chain spending. Pittsburgh Water’s ongoing infrastructure projects represent a consistent economic driver in the Pittsburgh region.
Ongoing water main replacement work is an essential part of Pittsburgh Water’s commitment to providing safe and reliable water services by updating aging infrastructure. These renewal projects will help to reduce the number of water main breaks that can lead to service interruptions and low water pressure.
Pairing this water main work with lead service line replacements is a strategic decision to maximize the customer benefits while completing vital infrastructure work in the most efficient way. A residence’s service line – the line that runs from the street and directly serves a residence with water – is made up of two parts: a public and a private side. The public portion, owned by Pittsburgh Water, is connected directly to the water main, presenting an obvious opportunity for service line material inspections during the water main replacement process. As part of Pittsburgh Water’s commitment to protecting public health, any lead encountered during water main replacements, on the public or private side of the service line, will be replaced at no direct cost to the customer.
Visit pgh2o.com/lead to learn more about Pittsburgh Water’s nationally recognized Community Lead Response.
