Infrastructure Achievements Spanning Across Utilities

Pittsburgh, PA – Friday afternoon, Pittsburgh Water hosted remarks and a site tour at its Water Treatment Plant, to celebrate the new dual power feed installation, completed by Duquesne Light Company (DLC). This project, which supports the larger Water Reliability Plan, will bring more redundant, flexible and reliable power service to one of Pittsburgh Water’s largest water pumping stations. Pittsburgh Water leadership was joined by Duquesne Light Company Vice President of Energy Policy and General Counsel David Fisfis, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank, City Councilperson and board member Erika Strassburger, and additional members of its Board of Directors. 

“Safe, reliable water services are essential to the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Will Pickering CEO of Pittsburgh Water. “Power outages can cause disruptive low and no pressure events in our water distribution system. The improvements made by Duquesne Light Company bolsters our power supply and increases resiliency to improve the life essential services our customers rely on,” Pickering concluded. 

Bringing Reliable Electrical Service to our Water Treatment Plant

Safe and reliable water service certainly requires upgrading aging water pipes, pumps, and tanks, but there are other operational components that matter, too. Dependable, safe power access is a critical part of moving water throughout our hilly city, into homes and businesses. ​ ​ 

When planning the various Water Reliability Plan projects, which will upgrade critical water pumping, distribution and storage infrastructure — our engineers realized there were other necessary utility updates we would need. We worked with DLC engineers who quickly got to work designing new plans to bring power service to our Water Treatment Plant. These new dual feeds come from two different areas of DLC’s system to reinforce service reliability. If one area of their system is offline for some reason, the other feed is online and will continue to serve these pump stations. 

"DLC is proud to partner with Pittsburgh Water on improving service resiliency and strengthening water infrastructure for the Pittsburgh region," said David Fisfis, DLC's vice president of energy policy and general counsel. "Bringing reliable 24/7 service to our customers is vital to the health and well-being of the communities we serve. When utilities can collaborate on infrastructure projects, those investments go further, and we're looking forward to working together for years to come." 

In the coming years, the Aspinwall Pump Station, located on the Water Treatment Plant grounds and the Bruecken Pump Station located across the Allegheny River from the Treatment Plant will be upgraded. At that time, power service will be switched over from the current power center to the new feeds. Not only do these new feeds have enhanced reliability, but they will also provide higher voltage to the modern pumps that will be installed. 

“When utilities collaborate, customers benefit,” said Pennsylvania PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank. “Both Pittsburgh Water and Duquesne Light are to be commended for their coordinated approach and detailed work in bringing this dual power project to completion. The Public Utility Commission will continue emphasizing enhanced communication and coordination among our regulated entities.” 

Confidence in Water Quality

This and other Water Reliability Plan projects, will lead to the centerpiece project of the Water Reliability Plan, the replacement of the Clearwell, a century old 40-million-gallon water storage and disinfection facility at the Water Treatment Plant. This is a singular piece of infrastructure that cannot be easily taken offline for repairs. This series of work will not only renew key pieces of our system but allow for the replacement of the Clearwell. 

Upgrades to our pumping, storage and distribution system are crucial for the health and vitality of our community. Much like previous generations worked to build the water and wastewater systems we rely on every day, we must bring these systems up to modern standards and provide safe, reliable drinking water for current and future generations.

“The decisions Pittsburgh Water is making today will serve our community for the next 100 years and provide customers with the safe, reliable water services they expect,” said Pittsburgh City Councilmember and Vice-Chair of Pittsburgh Water’s Board of Directors Erika Strassburger. “The benefit of this investment will be long-lasting - providing a transformed, modern water system that will protect the well-being of thousands of Pittsburgh residents,” she stated. ​ 

For more information on the Water Reliability Plan, visit pgh2o.com/WRP. 

This article was originally published on Pittsburgh Water's website on Nov. 15, 2024.