Pittsburgh Water receives $78 million in state funding to improve water and sewer system

Pittsburgh Water will receive nearly $78 million in funding to speed up improvements to the city's drinking water and sewer system, the city announced Tuesday.

The funding from PennVest, a state financing authority based that provides assistance to address issues related to water and pollution problems, will be used to replace aging infrastructure and continue the removal of lead service lines across the city's neighborhoods.

"Investments like these are critical to keeping Pittsburgh moving forward," Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor said in the release. "By upgrading infrastructure and removing lead service lines, we're improving quality of life for families and residents today while building a stronger, more reliable system for the future."

Pittsburgh Water has received more than $1.02 billion in PennVest support since 2018, including more than $133.5 million in grants and over $887 million in low-interest loans.

The latest round of funding will help remove more than 700 lead service lines and replace three miles of water mains.

It will also be used to rehabilitate 42 miles of sewer mains across nine neighborhoods, including Hazelwood, Bon Air, Stanton Heights, Swisshelm Park and Carrick.

"We're focused on making the right investments in our system while keeping costs as low as possible for customers," Pittsburgh Water CEO Will Pickering said. "Every dollar we secure through PennVest is a dollar that helps us strengthen our system without placing the full burden on ratepayers."

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:21 PM.