Rates

Under our current rates, the average residential customer using 3,000 gallons of water per month will pay about $100 per month for water, wastewater conveyance, and stormwater services. We also offer a bill discount program for income-qualified households that provides a 100 percent reduction on monthly minimum water and wastewater charges and an 85 percent reduction on the stormwater charge. The average residential customer enrolled in the bill discount program using 3,000 gallons of water per month, will pay about $50 for water, wastewater conveyance, and stormwater services.

Your ratepayer dollars are directed to essential water, sewer, and stormwater investments throughout our service area. Unlike investor-owned utilities, we do not have shareholders and do not generate a profit. Instead, our primary focus is on delivering the best possible service, at the lowest possible cost, for our customers. 

Any ratepayer revenue that we do not spend in 2024 will be used to finance future infrastructure improvements or to reduce future rate increases.

Your ratepayer support will help us achieve our goals, including transparency, accountability, reliability, affordability, and more. These goals include:

  • Responsibly and sustainably managing Pittsburgh’s water – now and in the future
  • Providing safe, reliable water 24/7/365, and providing excellent customer service
  • Renewing and upgrading our drinking water, stormwater, and sewer infrastructure to exceed all compliance standards
  • Prioritizing public health and replacing all lead service lines 
  • Making water service accessible, through customer assistance to our income-qualified customers and by continuing a moratorium on winter water shut-offs
  • Being accountable, accessible, and fully transparent 
  • Fairly and equitably charging each customer based on their usage of our system
  • Being a valued regional environmental steward of our most precious resource – water

Current Water and Wastewater Rates

Effective February 15, 2024, charges for metered water and sewer conveyance are determined and billed monthly, as follows:

Meter Size Minimum Gallons Minimum Charge: Water Minimum Charge: Sewer Total Minimum Charge
*5/8" 1,000 $31.54 $8.25 $39.79
3/4" 2,000 $55.26 $13.19 $68.45
1" 5,000 $121.38 $27.35 $148.73
1 1/2" 10,000 $240.01 $52.06 $292.07
2" 17,000 $401.04 $85.98 $487.02
3" 40,000 $911.28 $195.00 $1,106.28
4" 70,000 $1,562.27 $335.31 $1,897.58
6" 175,000 $3,774.85 $817.77 $4,592.62
8" 325,000 $6,877.76 $1,499.45 $8,377.21
10" or larger 548,000 $11,393.44 $2,500.18 $13,893.62
Fire Line Minimum Charge
1" or less       $31.39
1 1/2" - 3"       $97.60
4"       $314.87
6" or greater       $654.54
*Typical single-family residential meter size

 

For every 1,000 gallons over the minimum, the rate is the following:

Account Classification Water Allocation Sewer Allocation Total Combined Rate
*Residential Property $16.38 $6.68 $23.06
Commercial Property $16.58 $5.94 $22.52
Industrial Property $16.50 $6.09 $22.59
Health or Education Property $20.70 $6.75 $27.45
Fire Systems
(use other than reported fire - Rule 304.9)
$27.11 - $27.11
*Average consumption for a single-family residence is 3,000 gallons per month.

Current Stormwater Rates

The stormwater fee is based on a property’s hard or impervious surfaces. Impervious surface is the hard surface on a property such as roofs, pavement, and parking areas that do not absorb stormwater. These hard surfaces generate stormwater runoff that collect trash and send polluted water into local waterways. It can also overwhelm our sewer system causing streets to flood, basements to backup, and sewage to overflow into rivers and streams.

In Pittsburgh, the average amount of impervious surface on a property is approximately 1,650 square feet. This is equal to one equivalent residential unit (ERU) of impervious surface, which is the unit of measure for calculating the stormwater fee and is accepted as the industry standard for determining a stormwater fee. 

Effective February 15, 2024, charges for stormwater services are determined and billed monthly based on a property's impervious surface, as follows:

Stormwater Class ERUs Stormwater Monthly Fees

Residential Tier 1:
(>= 400 sf to < 1,015 sf)

0.5 $5.03
*Residential Tier 2:
(>= 1,015 sf to < 2,710 sf)
1 $10.06
Residential Tier 3:
(>= 2,710 sf)
2 $20.12
Non-residential Per ERU $10.06
*70% of residential customers fall within Tier 2.

Sample Residential Customer Bill

WATER RATE
Water consumption is based on gallons of water consumed. All customers are charged for a minimum amount based on meter size. The average residential customer is billed for a 5/8" meter and 3,000 gallons of water each billing cycle.
Water Minimum Charge
(less than or equal to 1,000 gallons)
$31.54
Water Consumption Charge
(for every full 1,000 gallons over the minimum, PWSA charges $16.38)
$32.76
SEWER
The wastewater conveyance rate is based on gallons of water released into the sewer system. The average residential customer is billed for a 5/8" meter and 3,000 gallons of water into the sewer system.
Wastewater Conveyance Minimum Charge
(less than or equal to 1,000 gallons)
$8.25
Wastewater Conveyance Volume Charge
(for every full 1,000 gallons over the minimum, PWSA charges $6.68)
$13.36
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT CHARGE
Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) 5% of water and sewer charges $4.30
STORMWATER
The stormwater fee is based on the amount of impervious surface on a property. The average residential customer is billed for one equivalent residential unit (ERU) of impervious surface.
Stormwater Fee
(for each ERU, PWSA charges $10.06)
$10.06
SUB-TOTAL
PWSA bills on behalf of ALCOSAN for sewage treatment. ALCOSAN's rates are separate from PWSA. Their rates are set annually and the amount that they charge for sewage treatment is reflected in your bill from PWSA.
PWSA Charges $100.27
ALCOSAN $41.22
TOTAL BILL
PWSA and ALCOSAN $141.29