Water Quality and Environmental Health offers recommendations that address real and perceived water quality threats to rebuild trust in Pittsburgh’s water systems. 

Review our progress on the roadmap recommendations:

• Committed to removing all lead lines - to date we have replaced over 11,000 lead lines  
• Implement Community Lead Response Advisory recommendations through quarterly committee meetings.
• Develop a lead strategy for our region through our CEO's participation in the White House panel on lead remediation as part of their Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerator Project. 
• Undertake sustained efforts to rebuild trust in water systems by hosting a series of Trust the Tap: Water Workshops throughout the city. 

Sustainable Stormwater Management addresses climate change and flooding by proposing opportunities to invest in stormwater projects–including green infrastructure–that deliver multiple benefits for communities and improve public health and safety across the city.

Review our progress on the roadmap recommendations:

• Prioritize equity in infrastructure investments through our stormwater strategic plan. 
• Coordinate stormwater investments to maximize community benefits
• Developed a stormwater fee based on parcel size.
• Prevent sewer overflows and sewage backups that threaten public health. Visit our stormwater projects page to learn more about our ongoing efforts.
• Advance equity through city code updates released in 2022.

Affordability considers how to bolster customer assistance programs and other measures to protect households from financial harm as utilities invest in water infrastructure across Pittsburgh. We have created a team focused on supporting our low income customers, PGH2O Cares, 

With the help of the PGH2O Cares team and our partners, we have completed the following recommendations from the roadmap:

• Codify winter moratorium shutoffs from December 1st to March 31st for customers earning 300% of Federal Poverty Level.
• Strengthen bill assistance for customers by increasing income eligibility to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and expanding our Hardship Grant program with an increased maximum grant of $450. Read more about our recent progress. 
• Target conservation efforts through our Line Repair and Conservation Pilot Program which provides free repairs and/or installation of low flow fixtures to low income customers. Read more about the pilot program,
• Promote equitable utility consolidation through maintenance agreements with neighboring townships.
• Advocate for state and federal funding through PENNVEST and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Workforce Development offers recommendations for building a water workforce that represents Pittsburgh and engages communities with high unemployment and under-employment or those that were excluded from workforce opportunities in the past. 

Review our progress on the following roadmap recommendations:

• Create a workforce development vision group at PWSA. In 2021, PWSA instituted a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy then augmented it with annual Harassment Prevention and DEI Training. 
• Recruit and retain diverse talent
• Develop a diverse talent pipeline
• Enhance equitable contracting by creating more transparency around our procurement process and dollars spent. We created the annual Supplier Diversity Report, host 3-4 yearly events for diverse vendors to network and demystify how to do business with us, and work with Beam Collaborative to identify specific business processes that can be diversified. 
• Hold contractors accountable for hiring and employment goals by increasing our data collection and auditing contracts on a quarterly basis.

Water Democracy offers recommendations for supporting Pittsburghers’ voice and shared power over water decision-making. Reaching equitable water outcomes requires transparency and public accountability, which is only possible if water resources and infrastructure are kept in the public domain.

Review our progress on the following water democracy roadmap recommendation:

• Review commitments to public utility ownership
• Institutionalize representative, independent utility governance
• Continue and expand use of advisory bodies
• Improve transparency and cultivate an engaged and educated customer base. PWSA and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) host hearings for public comment on any proposal to increase rates for water, wastewater conveyance, and stormwater services. In the summer of 2024, we hosted a series of water workshops to build confidence and trust in drinking water quality.