Pittsburgh embarks on $500M water system upgrade, starting with $46M Highland Reservoir Pump Station. Projects aim to modernize infrastructure for resilient, reliable service, with funding secured from state, federal sources. Construction set to be completed by 2034, benefiting local economy.
Rendering courtesy of Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority
The $46 million Highland Reservoir Pump Station is the first of three major station construction projects and renovations that make up the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority's (PWSA) Water Reliability Plan — a $500 million renewal of the city's more than 100-year-old water pumping and distribution system.
Cement mixers, bulldozers and elected officials in hard hats and neon vests mingled with other Pittsburgh, Pa., leaders and residents on Sept. 20 during a construction site tour in the city's Highland Park neighborhood, where a new pump station is taking shape, WESA Public Radio reported.
The $46 million Highland Reservoir Pump Station is the first of three major station construction projects and renovations that make up the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority's (PWSA) Water Reliability Plan — a $500 million renewal of the city's more than 100-year-old water pumping and distribution system.
In a news release, PWSA called the efforts "once-in-a-generation projects [that represent] a significant investment in Pittsburgh's water infrastructure and will ensure reliable water services for current and future generations of customers."
"It is immense, and it is needed. And you could argue long overdue," PWSA Chief Executive Officer Will Pickering said at the construction site. "We need to modernize the system and also add elements, which are key to the project. We're here today to add resiliency and redundancy.
"When constructed, it will reduce the likelihood of service disruptions caused by power outages or water main breaks," he added. "This, and all the projects within the Water Reliability Plan reflect our commitment to public health and support our region."
WESA Public Radio in Pittsburgh reported that, so far, PWSA replaced the liner and cover to the reservoir and put in large new transmission pipes to carry water from the pump station to the reservoir.
After the new pump station construction wraps up in spring 2026, the municipal agency plans to build two more such facilities — one to replace the Bruecken Pump Station next to the Allegheny River and Washington Boulevard, and another at the Pittsburgh's main water treatment plant in Aspinwall.
These upgrades will allow drinking water to keep flowing while PWSA replaces a 44-million gal. tank of water in Aspinall called a "clearwell," which the department considers to be the heart of the water treatment system. A clearwell is used to disinfect water with chlorine before it is sent out to homes across the city.
From Aspinall, all drinking water flows on to a couple of pump stations, including the Bruecken facility, then through new big blue pipes, or supply mains, up to the reservoirs in Highland Park.
"The purpose of this pump station is to take that treated water from that reservoir and be able to push it out into the system," said Frank Sideris, chief environmental compliance and ethics officer at PWSA.
From there, he added, drinking water moves through the web of underground pipes to the taps in the central part Pittsburgh and over to the city's South Hills.
The entire $500 million project is expected to be completed by 2034, according to WESA Public Radio.
Newest Pump Station to Significantly Boost Water Supply
The under-construction Highland Reservoir Pump Station is the first major new structure PWSA has built in approximately 20 years, according to the city agency.
Crews are currently focused on building the foundation and exterior structure for the new pump station, which will sit on land behind the existing facility — a process that will continue for the next year.
Future milestones include installing new, modern pumps, demolishing the existing 4 million gal. per day (MGD) pump station that feeds the Garfield water tank, and making way for the construction of the modernized, larger station.
Once it is built and operational in the spring of 2026, the new station will add 56 million MGD of additional service as a redundant supply to the Highland I Service Area, otherwise known as the uncovered Highland Reservoir I. This dual pumping capability will add critical redundancy and security to Pittsburgh's water system.
The PWSA added that the Highland Park pump station project is currently on schedule and within its budget.
Besides construction, the five-part contract includes mechanical, structural, architectural, site piping, electrical, HVAC and plumbing work. The project and all its components are estimated to generate more than 470 jobs and stimulate an economic output exceeding $83 million throughout the region.
In its news release, PWSA said it is also stimulating the greater Pittsburgh economy "by directly creating meaningful local job opportunities, indirectly generating business to business purchases to complete projects, and stimulating supply chain spending that keeps money in the region. The construction of the Highland Reservoir Pump Station is creating good paying union jobs and putting money back into our economy."
Dave Daquelente, executive director of the Master Builders' Association of Western Pennsylvania (MBA), said that the new Highland Reservoir Pump Station is "being constructed entirely by the men and women of the Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Unions, and carries tremendous significance for our region and the work of these construction labor professionals in the building trades.
"The outstanding union contractors and their talented employees working towards completing this project are committed to excellence and meeting the high standards PWSA has established, and MBA Contractor members are known for in our region. Our contractors, trade professionals, and the leadership from PWSA represent the tri-partite success that builds our region every day," he noted.
Funding the Water Reliability Plan
To keep costs as low as possible, the PWSA noted that it has aggressively pursued state and federal funding to investment in its new infrastructure efforts. That includes low-interest loans from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and PENNVEST, Pennsylvania's revolving loan fund.
"[In 2023], we received a $52.4 million loan from the federal government for three of the projects," the Pittsburgh water department noted. "This funding, part of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), is the first of a series of loans that will support these large-scale water improvements. It is supplemented by a prior funding award of $209 million from the state. Using alternative sources of funding is more cost-efficient as low-interest loans provide savings that we can pass on to our customers over the life of the loan."
The city also plans to take advantage of funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, hoping to save "hundreds of millions of dollars" to fund the project compared to taking out municipal bonds, which is how these projects have been funded in the past, Pickering told WESA Public Radio.
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