Pennsylvania American Water begins door-to-door canvassing in Pittsburgh for service line program

PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania American Water began door-to-door canvassing on July 15 in portions of its City of Pittsburgh service area. This outreach aims to help 5,700 customers identify the material of their home’s water service line.

The initiative focuses on parts of the Beechview, Beltzhoover, Bon Air, Brookline, Knoxville and Overbrook neighborhoods. It advances the company’s lead service line replacement program, offering replacement opportunities at no direct cost to customers.

The outreach is part of Pennsylvania American Water’s efforts to catalog the material type of customers’ service lines. Officials say this work helps safeguard the quality of water for customers and supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

These improvements require all water utilities to identify and make public the materials of both company-owned and customer-owned service lines. The goal is to address and minimize lead exposure in drinking water.

Canvassing in the affected Pittsburgh neighborhoods is expected to be completed in the fall.

“Customer involvement makes this work possible,” Pennsylvania American Water Operations Vice President Jim Runzer said. “Our goal is to catalog the material type of customers’ service lines to help safeguard the quality of water for our customers.”

A water service line is a pipe connecting a home or business to the water main in the street. Pennsylvania American Water typically owns the portion from the main to the curb stop, while the property owner owns the rest of the line into the house or building.

If a service line is identified as lead or galvanized steel, Pennsylvania American Water will work with the customer to replace the line at no direct cost. Approximately 5,700 customer water service line materials in the City of Pittsburgh have not yet been identified.

The door-to-door outreach is conducted by CDM Smith, Pennsylvania American Water’s service line inventory contractor. All representatives will carry official company photo ID badges and wear logoed, high-visibility vests.

Since the lead service line identification project began, more than 50,000 service lines have been identified statewide. More than 3,400 customer-owned lead lines have also been replaced.

Customers can view an interactive service line map by clicking here. They can also self-report their service line material online, request assistance by calling 717-581-8599, emailing LeadFreePA@amwater.com or scheduling an appointment at calendly.com/LeadFreePA.

Pennsylvania American Water is a subsidiary of American Water, which is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. Pennsylvania American Water serves approximately 2.5 million people in the state with water and wastewater services.

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