Across the country municipalities are dealing with aging and ineffective infrastructure and the solution often entails financial implications to the public. An example of a city dealing with this issue is Pittsburg. The Steel City has been hit, again, with a rate increase. In January of this year, the Pittsburg Water and Sewer Authority imposed a sizeable increase on its residents of 28 percent, and at the end of August raised the rates, again, an additional 16.7 percent.[1] A typical consumer who uses 3,000 gallons a month could see their monthly bill go from $63.62 to $74.23.[2]
Although this increase is substantial and difficult for customers to absorb, the rate hikes to commercial and industrial customers are even higher. “The authority is proposing a 21 percent hike in commercial rates; commercial customers using 13,000 gallons a month would see their monthly bills rise from $234 to $283. A 28.2 percent hike is planned for industrial customers; one using 680,000 gallons a month would see their monthly bill increase from $9,409 to $12,064.”[3]
Currently the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is under siege from a myriad of challenges. Water main breaks continually plague the authority. In January, alone, of this year, PWSA “had to repair more than 100 water main breaks in the first two weeks…more than it repaired in the entire month of January 2017.[4] In addition to the $90,000 per day spent on contractors to keep up with the repairs, there are also the occasions of fines the authority has to pay for violations.[5] An example is the $50K fine the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority “for permitting a release of chlorinated water into the Allegheny River and failing to provide erosion and sedimentation controls during a water main break in 2017.”[6]
Another looming challenge for the authority is the issue of lead in the pipes. The authority “has exceeded a federal lead content threshold for drinking water for the past two years and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has ordered it to replace a minimum of 7 percent of its lead lines each year.”[7]
In combination, these issues only serve to highlight the financial implications to the residents and industries of Pittsburgh, and although the latest rate increase will bring an additional $27 million annually to PWSA, this will likely not be sufficient to address all the issues facing the authority.
[1] Heyl, Eric. “Pittsburgh Water Rates Set To Skyrocket.” Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA Patch, Patch, 23 July 2018, https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-water-rates-set-skyrocket
[2]Heyl, Eric. “Pittsburgh Water Rates Set To Skyrocket.” Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA Patch, Patch, 23 July 2018, https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-water-rates-set-skyrocket
[3] Heyl, Eric. “Pittsburgh Water Rates Set To Skyrocket.” Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA Patch, Patch, 23 July 2018, https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-water-rates-set-skyrocket
[4]Clift, Theresa. “PWSA Had More than 100 Water Main Breaks in First 2 Weeks of January.” TribLIVE.com, 24 Jan. 2018https://triblive.com/local/allegheny/13220439-74/pwsa-had-more-than-100-water-main-breaks-in-first-two-weeks
[5] Clift, Theresa. “PWSA Had More than 100 Water Main Breaks in First 2 Weeks of January.” TribLIVE.com, 24 Jan. 2018https://triblive.com/local/allegheny/13220439-74/pwsa-had-more-than-100-water-main-breaks-in-first-two-weeks
[6]Bauder, Bob. “DEP Fines Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority $50K for Violations.” TribLIVE.com, 18 May 2018, https://triblive.com/local/allegheny/13665132-74/dep-fines-pittsburgh-water-and-sewer-authority-50k-for-violations
[7] Heyl, Eric. “Pittsburgh Water Rates Set To Skyrocket.” Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA Patch, Patch, 23 July 2018, https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-water-rates-set-skyrocket
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