Mayor Bill Peduto has also presented legislation to council, and a vote was scheduled for June 13 that would allow the PWSA to replace lead lines on private property for free when it does the public lines. Homeowners would have to volunteer for the program and, according to the bill, indemnify the city against any damages occurring during replacement: “(a) Property Owner’s private lead water service line will be replaced from the new water main to the meter and will include restoration of concrete paving disturbed during the line replacement as well as grass seeding for disturbed grass areas (collectively the PLRP). The PLRP work will be performed at no cost to the Property Owner.”
If, however, the work requires going through finished walls, floors, steps or exterior structures like retaining walls, replacing those would be the homeowner’s responsibility.
Kevin Acklin, Peduto’s chief of staff, said the city is seeking a low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority to cover part of the estimated $410 million the replacements will cost.
Last week former mayoral candidate Rev. John C. Welch, a onetime environmental engineer, applauded the authority halting the partial replacement program. Its renewal, though modified, is still less than he recommends. He estimates putting point-of-entry filters in all buildings served by the PWSA would cost $100 million and would allow the authority to safely replace all its lines—including the mains—at a slower, less costly pace, while maintaining safety.
(The authority’s interactive map is viewable at https://www.pgh2o.com/CBI.)
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