Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) will begin designing the Clearwell Replacement Project. This $4.7 million design project sits at the center of our Water Reliability Plan, a series of once-in-a-generation projects to modernize the most crucial portions of our drinking water system, including large-diameter transmission pipes, reservoirs, pump stations, and components of the Water Treatment Plant, like the Clearwell.
The existing Clearwell, originally constructed in 1912, was an engineering marvel for its time. Its replacement will be equally remarkable with enhanced redundancy and operational efficiencies to secure and deliver reliable services for the next century.
“The Clearwell Replacement is one of several projects to transform our water system and provide current and future generations of customers with safe, reliable water services,” said Will Pickering, PWSA’s CEO. “Through its replacement, we are delivering on our promise to protect public health and support our region,” he said.
“Initiating the design of the Clearwell Replacement demonstrates the continued progress we have made to implement the Water Reliability Plan,” said Rachael Beam, PWSA’s Chief Engineering Officer. “We’re excited to bring this project to life and through its design highlight the features that will strengthen and modernize our water system,” she stated.
This project, awarded to CDM Smith, will prepare a plan to replace this singular piece of infrastructure in our system. The Clearwell is a 44-million-gallon basin that provides the critical final step of the water treatment process. Here, chlorine is added for disinfection and water receives the necessary contact time before entering the distribution system.
Because there is no backup Clearwell in the system, other projects must be completed before we take it offline for its complete replacement. The Water Reliability Plan consists of an intricate sequence of projects leading up to the Clearwell Replacement.
Since 2022, we have been hard at work completing other components of the Water Reliability Plan:
- The first project in the series, the Rising Mains 3&4 Rehabilitation and Replacement, was completed in late 2023. This work replaced 2,100 feet of large diameter transmission pipe and rehabilitated another 6,400 feet using trenchless technology. These pipes serve a crucial purpose in our system, moving treated drinking water to the covered Highland II Reservoir.
- We began replacement of the covered Highland II Reservoir cover and liner in spring of 2022, with completion in early 2023. This project renewed the reservoir, making it more reliable for its use as a temporary clearwell when the main Clearwell is offline for replacement.
- Construction crews are at work on the new Highland Reservoir Pump Station, located near the covered Highland II Reservoir. Our first major new building in 20-years, the modern pump station will provide enhanced service reliability for thousands of our drinking water customers. Large diameter transmission pipes around the future pump station were upgraded last year.
- Final construction documents were recently submitted to state regulators for the Aspinwall Pump Station, Bruecken Pump Station, and Clearwell Bypass projects.
PWSA customers can expect uninterrupted water service while this work progresses, as our engineers have taken great care to plan these projects with 100% service uptime as the number one priority.
Importance of System Reliability
Much of our drinking water infrastructure is more than a century old, with other components being built and maintained in the decades thereafter. Our water system was constructed with incredible ingenuity and has served us well, but is reaching the end of its useful life. The projects making up the Water Reliability Plan – 10 in total – bring our water system into the 21st Century. This investment of approximately $470 million will strengthen our drinking water system, bolster service reliability, and transform water services for our region.
Low-interest loans from our state and federal partners are the primary source of funding for the Water Reliability Plan. Alternative sources like WIFIA and PENNVEST are a more cost-efficient method, as low interest rates reduce the burden on ratepayers and will save millions of dollars over the life of the loan. Since 2018, we have received $762 million in PENNVEST and federal funding, which will save ratepayers more than $846 million over time.
Learn More
The Water Reliability Plan provides a clear vision for the future and a plan to get there. As these projects are completed, current and future generations of customers can trust the security and reliability of their water knowing these critical fixtures of the system have been improved or replaced using state-of-the-art materials and technology.
To keep up with Water Reliability Plan updates and better understand the water system that serves our community 24/7, 365, visit pgh2o.com/water-reliability-plan.
