Pittsburgh’s drinking water comes from the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, treated at one of Pennsylvania’s largest water treatment facilities. The treated water itself meets all federal standards for lead. But between the treatment plant and your kitchen tap, older lead service lines can introduce lead into the water — and Pittsburgh has tens of thousands of them.
Pittsburgh Water (formerly the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, rebranded in November 2024) has been actively replacing lead service lines since June 2016. Here’s what Pittsburgh homeowners should understand about the issue.
The Lead Service Line Problem
Lead service lines were the standard material for connecting homes and buildings to water mains for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pittsburgh, like many older northeastern and midwestern cities, has a substantial number of these pipes still in the ground — connecting homes built before 1986 to the water distribution system.
Lead is not present in water treated by Pittsburgh Water. The lead enters the water after treatment, as it flows through older lead service lines on its way to your tap. The amount of lead that leaches depends on several factors: how long the water sits in the pipes, the water’s chemistry (acidity, temperature), and the condition of any protective coating inside the pipes.
Pittsburgh Water serves approximately 83,000 customers across 964 miles of water lines. The authority has been working systematically to identify and replace lead service lines, coordinating with property owners to replace both the utility-owned portion (from the water main to the property line) and the homeowner-owned portion (from the property line to the home).
What Pittsburgh Water Is Doing
Pittsburgh Water launched its community lead response program in June 2016, following heightened national attention on lead in drinking water after the Flint, Michigan crisis. The program includes:
- Lead service line inventory — identifying which properties have lead service lines through records, visual inspection, and water testing
- Proactive replacement — replacing lead service lines as part of infrastructure projects and through targeted programs
- Water testing — offering free lead testing to customers, particularly those in older homes
- Customer education — informing residents about lead risks and protective measures while replacement work is underway
The authority conducts regular testing under the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule, monitoring lead levels at residential taps across the service area. Under the EPA’s revised Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) finalized in 2024, Pittsburgh Water — like all US water systems — is required to replace all remaining lead service lines within 10 years.
Is Pittsburgh’s Water Safe to Drink?
Pittsburgh’s treated water consistently meets EPA standards. The city adds corrosion inhibitors to the water supply to reduce lead leaching from service lines — a standard practice for water systems with aging infrastructure.
However, the EPA’s position is clear: no level of lead exposure is completely safe, especially for children. The agency’s action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) is a trigger for regulatory action, not a threshold below which lead is harmless.
For Pittsburgh residents in older homes, precautionary measures make sense regardless of whether your service line has been replaced.
What Pittsburgh Homeowners Should Do
1. Find out if you have a lead service line. Pittsburgh Water maintains records on service line materials and has a customer portal where homeowners can check their address. If records are incomplete, a licensed plumber can inspect where the water line enters your home. Lead pipes are dull gray, soft enough to scratch with a key, and will not be attracted to a magnet.
2. Get your water tested. Pittsburgh Water offers free lead water testing to customers. Request a test kit through their website or by calling customer service. If you have young children, are pregnant, or are in an older home, testing gives you a baseline and helps you understand your actual risk.
3. Flush before using. Water that has been sitting in lead service lines for several hours absorbs more lead. Before drinking or cooking, run the cold tap for 3–5 minutes to flush out standing water. This is particularly important first thing in the morning or after returning from time away.
4. Use a certified filter. NSF/ANSI 53-certified filters — including many pitcher-style and faucet-mount filters — are effective at reducing lead. Look for filters specifically certified to reduce lead, not just improve taste or remove chlorine. Under-sink reverse osmosis systems provide the most comprehensive filtration.
5. Always use cold water for drinking and cooking. Hot water dissolves lead much more readily than cold water. Never use hot tap water for drinking, cooking, or preparing baby formula — even if you have a filter on the cold line.
6. Sign up for the replacement program. Contact Pittsburgh Water to find out if your property is scheduled for lead service line replacement and what the timeline is. The utility’s replacement program coordinates the work with homeowners and handles the utility-side replacement.
The Timeline Ahead
With the EPA’s 10-year mandate under the LCRI, Pittsburgh Water must complete replacement of all remaining lead service lines by approximately 2034–2035. The authority has been building its replacement capacity since 2016, but meeting the federal deadline will require sustained investment and an accelerated pace.
Federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has provided significant resources for lead pipe replacement across Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh has access to state revolving fund allocations and direct grants to help fund the program.
Bottom Line for Pittsburgh Families
If your home was built before 1986 and you haven’t verified your service line material, treat your water as a potential lead risk until you know for certain. The protective measures — flushing, cold water use, certified filtration — are inexpensive and easy. The consequences of ignoring lead exposure, especially for young children, are not.
Pittsburgh Water is doing the work. While that work continues, taking precautions at home is the right call.
If you want a professional assessment of your home’s water quality, a certified water treatment specialist can test your water and recommend solutions appropriate for your specific situation.
Sources: Pittsburgh Water (pgh2o.com), EPA Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (2024), EPA Lead Service Lines national data, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Pennsylvania allocations