Pittsburgh Water is expanding its lead service line replacement program into four more neighborhoods: Highland Park, Shadyside, Bloomfield, and Lawrenceville. The new phase will replace 770 public and 840 private lead lines, with completion targeted for the end of 2027, WESA reported on August 5.
The work is backed by $31.5 million from PENNVEST, Pennsylvania’s water infrastructure financing authority, split evenly between grant funding and a low interest loan. That state money sits on top of a much larger federal push: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act put $15 billion toward lead pipe replacement nationwide.
The utility’s progress numbers tell an encouraging story. Since 2016, when Pittsburgh’s lead crisis first made headlines, more than 27,000 public and private lead lines have been replaced across the system. The most recent round of testing showed lead levels at 2 parts per billion, a record low for the utility and well below the 15 parts per billion federal action level. Lead exposure is especially harmful to children’s brain and nervous system development, which is why the replacement of private lines at no direct cost to homeowners matters so much in older neighborhoods.
Pittsburgh Water is holding two community meetings for residents of the affected neighborhoods on Monday, August 11 and Tuesday, August 12, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM each evening. If your members live in the East End, encourage them to attend and to check whether their own service line is scheduled for replacement.
Key details
- Neighborhoods: Highland Park, Shadyside, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville
- Scope: 770 public and 840 private lead lines, complete by end of 2027
- Funding: $31.5 million from PENNVEST, half grant and half low interest loan
- Community meetings: August 11 and 12, 2026, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Read more at 90.5 WESA, the source for this item.
