Pa. attorney general files criminal charges against PWSA over lead issues

PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed criminal charges Friday against the Pittsburgh Water & Sewage Authority for multiple violations against the PA Safe Water Drinking Act.

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Shapiro filed 161 charges against the agency for failing to notify residents when the agency replaced lead water lines.

Shapiro also charged the PWSA for not sampling water lines following the replacements within the proper timeframe required by state law.

The 161 counts are third-degree misdemeanors. The counts represent the 161 households Shapiro said the PWSA failed to notify.

Shapiro said he filed criminal charges against PWSA as an authority because agents found no evidence of any single person intending to harm Pittsburgh residents.

Pittsburgh's lead water lines were installed years ago. Shapiro said, over time, dangerous amounts of lead can bleed into drinking water.

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Shapiro said in 2016, the PWSA conducted lead tests on two separate occasions and the results showed elevated lead levels greater than allowed under state law.

Shapiro said the state Department of Environmental Protection told the PWSA the agency needed to replace 7 percent of their service lines to lower the lead levels in drinking water. Shapiro said PWSA was supposed to replace 1,341 lines, but only replaced 415 lines by the state’s deadline.

PWSA also failed to notify residents in advance of the lines' replacement required by state law, and it did not collect water samples of those homes with new pipes within the 72-hour installation time frame.

Shapiro noted that children are especially sensitive to lead, and it could have an impact on their health and development and could lead to learning disabilities. Lead can also be dangerous to adults, leading to kidney problems and reproductive issues, Shapiro said.

The PWSA entered a civil consent order and agreement in November 2017 and was fined $2.4 million by the DEP, who also referred the case to Shapiro’s office for a criminal investigation.

Shapiro said the maximum penalty for each count is one year in prison and a fine ranging from $1,250 to $12,500. He said the money collected from the fines will go towards DEP programs in Pittsburgh to protect public health.

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