Here at PWSA, we understand the importance of providing transparent information around the quality and safety of your water. In fact, about 9 out of 10 respondents to our most recent customer satisfaction survey noted that they feel it’s important PWSA keeps them informed about their drinking water quality and our role in protecting public health.
On that front, today we have some great water quality news to share. This summer, the University of Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory and Women for a Healthy Environment released a report, Measuring Up: Grading drinking water quality, affordability, and transparency practices in Allegheny County Water Systems.
PWSA earned high marks across the board, receiving the highest possible mark of “Best Practice” in all Water Quality categories. Those categories noted that PWSA is employing best practices across our Lead Service Line Replacement program and that we are in compliance with state and federal drinking water regulations.
In June, we released our annual Water Quality Report. The 2022 report found that PWSA meets and exceeds all regulatory requirements for safe, clean drinking water.
Each year, PWSA performs over 100,000 tests for microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic chemical contaminants, and radioactive contaminants. These contaminants can be found in nature or as a result of human activity. Everything that was tested fell inside the EPA’s acceptable range and there were no violations.
Our new fact sheet, Is My Drinking Water Safe?, provides a snapshot of our water treatment process and explains the rigorous monitoring and testing procedures we follow to ensure your drinking water is of the highest quality.
PWSA also reported the lowest recorded levels of lead in decades. The latest round of testing found 3.4 parts per billion, well below the EPA action level of 15 parts per billion and the lowest number recorded in more than 20 years. To date, PWSA has replaced more than 10,500 lead service lines across our distribution system. We also recognize the effectiveness of adding orthophosphate, a food-grade additive, to the treatment process in 2019 as an important turning point in significantly reducing lead levels.
With lead levels firmly in compliance, PWSA has turned its attention to the Water Reliability Plan. This series of once-in-a-generation projects strengthens and adds redundancy to large components of our water pumping and distribution system. With the first projects completed and the second phase under construction, PWSA continues to transform the water systems our customers rely on. These projects, when complete, will provide customers with reliable, high-quality water service for current and future generations of customers.
PWSA customers can have every confidence that the path we are on today will secure safe, high-quality water services for years to come. For more information about drinking water quality and the investments we are making today, please visit our Your Water website.
