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Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority rebrands itself as Pittsburgh Water

Two men work to connect new pipes after removing old lead lines from a home in Mt. Washington.
Kiley Koscinski
/
90.5 WESA
Crews replace a lead water line in Pittsburgh's Mt. Washington neighborhood.

Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is rebranding itself as simply “Pittsburgh Water,” the agency announced Thursday. The new name and logo are an effort to better reflect Pittsburgh Water’s unified approach to managing drinking water, wastewater and stormwater, officials said in a release.

“Safely and reliably managing the flow of drinking water to our taps and wastewater and stormwater through our sewers requires a measured, unified approach, and that’s been a key influence of the Pittsburgh Water brand,” the agency said.

Pittsburgh Water will remain a publicly owned and managed utility. (The company is a municipal authority of the City of Pittsburgh though it operates independently.) Pittsburgh Water CEO Will Pickering called the branding reset an opportunity to foster a better understanding of the services the company provides.

Part of Pittsburgh Water’s new brand includes increased emphasis on public health and modernizing aging water infrastructure. The agency’s lead service line replacement program has been the blueprint for other municipalities looking to modernize water infrastructure across the country. Thanks to federal funding, Pittsburgh is on track to replace old lead water lines for every residential customer by 2027, years ahead of a federal timeline set forth last month.

“As Pittsburgh Water, we’re moving forward with a clear vision to transform Pittsburgh’s water system,” Pickering said. “We are truly proud to be leading the nation when it comes to our progress in lead service line replacements.”

Pickering also highlighted the company’s Water Reliability Plan — a $500 million renewal of the city’s century-old water pumping and distribution system.

“Our ambitious Water Reliability Plan includes historic capital investments to upgrade our infrastructure and modernize our water distribution system, providing our customers with more secure and reliable water services for decades to come,” he said.

Kiley Koscinski covers health and science. She also works as a fill-in host for All Things Considered. Kiley has previously served as WESA's city government reporter and as a producer on The Confluence and Morning Edition.