Pittsburgh Water CEO Will Pickering (second from left) and Board Member Jamil Bey (second from right) discuss how Pittsburgh has served as a national model for centering water quality and equity at the 2025 US Water Summit.

From immersive Water Workshops to neighborhood community meetings to expanded community engagement, Pittsburgh Water was again hard at work in 2025 connecting with our customers and community to share important information about your water.

Last year, our staff hosted or attended nearly 120 community meetings with groups like the Polish Hill Civic Association, Brookline Together, the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, and the East Hills Consensus Group to discuss upcoming water and sewer projects, capital investments, stormwater mitigation improvements, water quality and testing, and much more. Through partnerships with Pittsburgh Public Schools, local libraries, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, A+ Schools, Pittsburgh Learning Collaborative, and Reading Is Fundamental, we led hands-on science lessons around water quality, the treatment process, and stormwater management. We also visited UPMC Children’s Hospital for a televised, exciting, and interactive demonstration about our water treatment process. This experience gives young patients the opportunity to learn and engage remotely from their hospital beds.

Over the summer, Pittsburgh hosted the US Water Alliance’s One Water Summit, bringing leaders from across the globe together for a four-day event centered on creating a sustainable water future through collaboration and innovation. As the local host organization, Pittsburgh Water showcased some of our major achievements in Water Reliability Plan progress, lead service line replacements, stormwater improvements, water quality, and more. Our staff also led educational sessions on community-centered infrastructure, workforce development, and water equity, highlighting how partnerships and investment are shaping Pittsburgh’s water future. Hosting this national event put Pittsburgh’s water story and our commitment to reliability, quality, and equity on the national stage.

A highlight in our community engagement efforts this year was the debut of the Aquatic Academy - our very first professional development series for local teachers. The first of four workshops, the Water Treatment Learning Lab, gave participants an inside look at how Pittsburgh’s drinking water is sourced, treated, and delivered. Teachers learned about the Allegheny River and its role as our water source, including its geology, history, and factors which impact water quality. Teachers toured the treatment plant to see each step of the process and met the staff who keep water safe and reliable. Future workshops in the series will cover our lead line replacement efforts, pathways into great careers in the water sector, stormwater science, green infrastructure, and emerging water quality topics, like harmful algal blooms. Educators also explored hands-on science activities linked to state STEM educational standards.