Pittsburgh City Council clears path for private lead line replacements

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority can begin replacing residential water lines made of lead under legislation City Council approved in a unanimous vote Tuesday.

Council also approved a bill requiring homeowners to disclose the existence of lead water lines when they sell their properties.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last year ordered PWSA to begin replacing authority-owned lead water lines after testing revealed lead levels that exceeded a key federal threshold of 15 parts per billion.

"These bills will help us both reach the goals that DEP wants us to reach, but do so where it leaves no lead behind," said Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park, who serves on the PWSA board. "It's important for us to move forward to remove every inch of lead line in the city of Pittsburgh. It will take a long time."

A homeowner would have to volunteer for water line replacement under the legislation and could be asked to pay at least part of the cost based on income level.

The other ordinance requires residents who sell homes built before 1970 to test water lines for lead and disclose the existence of lead lines to potential buyers or renters during property closing.

"This legislation applies to all homes in the city," Gross said.

Officials suspect that 25 percent of PWSA's 71,000 water service lines are made of lead. Under previous regulations, the property owner was responsible for the private portion of a line.

The city is seeking a low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority to help cover the estimated $410 million cost of replacing lead lines in the city.

Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-765-2312, bbauder@tribweb.com or @bobbauder.