Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to replace water mains with $37.3M in state funding

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority plans to replace about four miles of water mains in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights and Squirrel Hill South neighborhoods.

The authority said it has secured a $37.3 million funding package from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority for the project to replace aging and undersized water mains.

PWSA also will replace any lead service lines encountered as part of the replacement work at no cost to the customer, the authority said in a statement.

“With continued support from the PennVEST Board, Governor Shapiro, state leaders and the city of Pittsburgh, PWSA can effectively extend the useful life of our water distribution system while minimizing the impact to ratepayers,” said Ed Barca, PWSA’s director of finance.

The funding package includes $2.5 million in grants and $34.8 million in low-interest loans, according to PWSA.

Construction in Brighton Heights and Squirrel Hill South is scheduled to begin in the spring and continue through mid-2025, according to PWSA.

PWSA has received a total of $667 million from PennVEST since 2018, including $48 million in grants and $619 in low-interest loans.