Tortured water: PWSA is the city’s No.
1 problem to fix.
A consultant Monday described the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority as being “on its last leg.” There was no need to tell that to the thousands of North Side, Millvale and Reserve customers placed under a boil water advisory after bird and animal droppings were feared to have penetrated torn reservoir covers and contaminated the water.
These range from outsourcing services to “aggressive internal improvement” to a new ownership or management structure.
Mayor Bill Peduto acknowledged such worries Monday when he said, “There is no backup system.
It has taken the city decades to shed its Rust Belt reputation, but even a short-lived water crisis would be sufficient to revive old stereotypes.
Pittsburgh easily could become the next Flint, Mich., a national symbol of neglect and failure.
There are no federal or state programs to bail us out.” It’s time for Mr. Peduto to put a plan before the city, give consumers an opportunity to weigh in and move forward.
Meanwhile, PWSA should test its system for weaknesses — are any other reservoir covers in need of replacement?
In June, the state House passed a bill that would give the Public Utility Commission oversight of PWSA.