A consulting agency heard emphatic support Thursday night for maintaining public control over the troubled Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
“Most effective change comes from local government. That’s why it’s important to be involved at the local level,” said Valerie Allman, 33, of Troy Hill, who joined around 100 others at a South Side workshop on PWSA’s future. “It’s our water; it should be our say.”
The sentiment became a theme at the gathering, where consultant Steve Steckler outlined several restructuring approaches before attendees broke into small-group discussions. Mr. Steckler is chairman at Washington, D.C.-based Infrastructure Management Group, which the city and PWSA hired to explore options for the leaky, debt-laden utility.
He said those options include internal improvements, a comprehensive lease agreement with — or sale to — a private investor, and more limited partnerships with private entities. IMG is due to deliver its final recommendations Wednesday to an expert panel appointed by Mayor Bill Peduto.
In the meantime, Mr. Steckler wanted to focus Thursday on the public’s wishes for PWSA — feedback that will influence the recommendations next week, he said. To highlight their biggest priorities, workshop attendees stuck reddish-orange stickers on oversized lists of prewritten goals.
Winning lots of stickers were the elimination of lead contamination, and ownership that prioritizes “public benefit over private profit.” Mr. Peduto has said that selling the PWSA system to a private entity is off the table.
“I think it’s important for people to trust where their water comes from,” said city Councilwoman Deborah Gross, who sits on the PWSA board. She said residents “still trust their local government more than Wall Street, maybe.”
“I don’t think the path [forward] is clear, but I think we know what our values are,” Ms. Gross added.
Another workshop attendee, engineer Bob Skrzyniarz, 77, of Mount Washington, said officials should consider privatizing portions of PWSA’s duties, such as excavation. He said private contractors could operate efficiently — with less downtime than what municipal crews see.
“They have to monitor costs in the field somehow,” said Mr. Skrzyniarz, who counts more than 50 years in the construction industry.
Mr. Steckler said local leaders will need “thoughtful and creative ways” to address PWSA, a municipal authority. The system is estimated to need more than $1 billion in immediate capital improvements after years of lackluster investment. It has counted more than 3,500 pipe breaks since January 2014, according to a state audit released Wednesday.
PWSA’s own projections show service rates quadrupling over the next 25 years if the organization doesn’t see major change, Mr. Steckler said.
“We’re at an inflection point,” he said.
Adam Smeltz: 412-263-2625, asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz.
First Published: November 3, 2017, 2:04 a.m.
