Pittsburgh Water Customers Are Invited to Participate in PA Public Utility Commission Public Hearings

Pittsburgh, PA - Pittsburgh Water encourages customers to participate in the public input hearings hosted by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC). The hearings are an opportunity to comment on the utility's recent rate proposal, that if approved, will fund additional investment for water, sewer, and stormwater system improvements.

The Public Hearings take place in-person on August 12 at 1:00 pm at the Jeron X. Grayson Community Center in the Hill District and at 6:00 pm at the Healthy Active Living Center in Hazelwood. Two telephonic hearings are also scheduled for August 13 at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm. For more information, including pre-registration and how to join, please visit https://www.pgh2o.com/events-meetings.

Investing Ratepayer Dollars

As a publicly owned and operated water utility, Pittsburgh Water is dedicated to investing rate dollars responsibly - with every dollar invested back in the water systems customers rely on. Since 2018, the utility has invested more than $898 million to renew critical drinking water infrastructure, remove lead service lines, construct new stormwater infrastructure, and rehabilitate century old sewer mains.

The rate request will advance the projects that are essential to providing safer water and protecting the health and well-being of the 520,000 people Pittsburgh Water serves each day. This includes essential funding for mandated infrastructure improvements, meets more stringent environmental and regulatory requirements, addresses increasing operating costs related to inflation, and expands capacity to perform needed system maintenance and operations.

The rate filing allows Pittsburgh Water to build upon its recent accomplishments:

• Ongoing lead service line replacements. Having already removed more than 13,000 lead service lines from the drinking water system, Pittsburgh Water remains on track to remove all residential lead lines from Pittsburgh neighborhoods by 2027.
• Improving service reliability. The multi-generational projects making up the Water Reliability Plan will strengthen and create a more resilient water system for decades to come. Pittsburgh Water is currently constructing the Highland Reservoir Pump Station and will soon break ground on the ABC project - a $193 million investment to modernize critical water pumping and distribution facilities.
• Rehabilitating Aging Infrastructure. In 2024, Pittsburgh Water replaced nearly 10 miles of water main, lined 15.5 miles of sewer, and replaced 568 storm drains throughout its service area. This work, taking place in neighborhoods across Pittsburgh, improves service reliability while strengthening the water and sewer systems.
• Commitment to Affordability: Since launching the Customer Assistance Programs in 2018, Pittsburgh Water has enrolled more than 8,400 customers in the Bill Discount Program and has distributed over $1,025,000 in Hardship Grants. The proposal includes additional enhancements to further expand these assistance programs including establishing the Line Repair and Water Conservation Program as a permanent program and forgiving past due balances provided the customer makes consistent on-time payments.

To support these investments, Pittsburgh Water aggressively pursues state and federal funding. Since 2018, the utility has received more than $886 million in low-interest loans and grants from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) to fund its capital program. Using alternative funding sources expedites the completion of this essential work and is projected to save ratepayers $1 billion over time in comparison to traditional financing.

Attending the Public Hearings

Members of the public are welcome to attend these hearings and provide comment for the public record. The hearings are an opportunity for customers to share their views on the Authority's proposed rate increase to the presiding PUC Administrative Law Judge, Pittsburgh Water representatives, and other parties in the case.

The public input hearings will be held in-person and telephonically and will take place on the following dates and times.

IN-PERSON
Tuesday, August 12

TELEPHONICALLY
Wednesday, August 13
1:00 pm and 6:00 pm

To participate, dial the toll-free Conference Number: 1-888-547-8922 and enter the PIN Number: 74903461 when prompted. You must speak your name when instructed and press #. The telephone system will then connect you to the hearing.

The public hearings are part of the PUC's process to evaluate Pittsburgh Water's recent proposal and need for this revenue. They will consider testimony from the public before making a final determination on the rate change. You do not need to be an expert to testify. Any testimony, whether supporting or opposing Pittsburgh Water's request, can be helpful to the PUC's investigation. All testimony given under oath becomes part of the official rate case record.

Pre-registration is not required for in-person meetings; however, it is encouraged for the telephonic meetings. To pre-register, please contact the PUC Judge's Legal Assistant Kayla Loukas, at [email protected] by 10:00 am on the day before the meeting. If you wish to submit exhibits to support your testimony, please email any documents to the PUC Judge's Legal Assistant by 10:00 am on the day before the meeting you plan to attend.

Pittsburgh Water customers are encouraged to pre-register, but may participate in the Public Input Hearings, either to testify or to listen, by using the toll-free call-in information or by attending the meetings in-person.

Please visit pgh2o.com/ourwaterfuture for more information about the rate proposal.