The Cleaner, Greener, More Affordable Water Cooler for Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has relied on the Allegheny River as a steady source of drinking water as far back as its original residents, the Iroquois, and Lenape tribes. European settlers would inherit the abundant water source. However, by the 17th century, local spring water often tasted of sulfur, and wells, which relied on underground water that could offset the taste, were difficult to dig.

For sanitary reasons and against the ever-present danger of fire, officials established the first formal Pittsburgh water system. By 1802, it consisted of four 47-foot deep wells with pumps. It didn’t take long for the city’s booming population to outgrow this simple system. In 1828, Pittsburgh developers unveiled a river pumping station and a 1-million-gallon reservoir. This infrastructure would continue to expand into Pittsburgh’s current water management system.

The 19th century saw another hurdle for the city’s water managers: waterborne illness. Likewise, contamination of the Allegheny reached such disastrous levels that the need for a treatment plant and process became obvious. After years of debate over design, Pittsburgh’s first filtration and treatment plant was constructed in 1907. By the 1950s, Pittsburgh water, formerly only treated with chlorine, needed a purification upgrade. Alum was introduced into the process – until the construction of a full chemical treatment plant arrived in 1962.

Today, The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority provides service to more than 300,000 customers producing an average of 70 million gallons of water daily. Two facilities treat Pittsburgh tap water: one near Aspinwall and the second, known as the Microfiltration Plant, in Highland Park. Uniquely, the city of Pittsburgh only draws its water from the Allegheny River with no need for groundwater sources. As water travels over the land, it picks up naturally occurring minerals and animal or human pollution. This often manifests as a musty or earthy odor or taste, especially after construction or lots of rain.

According to a recent Pittsburgh Water Quality report, industrial processes, discharge from power plants, the release of petroleum from pipeline ruptures, and stormwater runoff may contaminate drinking water. Like many older cities, most of the Pittsburgh water infrastructure consists of cast iron pipes, the industry standard until the mid-1960s. Prone to corrosion and biofilm, older cast iron pipes develop clusters of corrosion and bacteria along the inside of the pipe. Sometimes these clusters break off and travel with your water to your faucet, resulting in water cloudiness, red water, off-taste, and odor.