Water authority rate proposal draws criticism from ratepayers | The Homepage

‘PWSA is not a streaming service that we can opt out of when times get tough.’

At the Aug. 12 hearing in Hazelwood, Laura Vincent of Four Mile Run tells the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission about the flooding and sewage backups in her home and a rental property she owns. “PWSA has not offered any educational assistance, let alone financial assistance.” Photo by Ann Belser

By Ann Belser

Laura Vincent, who lives in the Four Mile Run section of Greenfield, has had her home damaged repeatedly by sewage filling her basement, so she opposes paying more for her water and sewer bills.

“In my house I’ve had more than eight feet of water in the basement. And I’m saying water, but let’s be real, it’s sewage water. It’s a terrible thing to clean up,” Ms. Vincent said. “It’s a really arduous process.”

Ms. Vincent was testifying before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission hearing on Aug. 12 at the Hazelwood Healthy Active Living Center. She spoke to oppose the rate increase proposed by Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, which recently changed its business name to Pittsburgh Water.

The water authority commonly known as PWSA has filed for a rate increase of $84.4 million over two years starting in 2026. Residential customers who live in a home with a standard stormwater runoff charge would see a 35% rate increase.

Ms. Vincent said she has tried to protect her home and the rental property she owns by covering cellar doors and windows with rubber membranes, then installing cement blocks in front of them and installing back-flow valves which stop sewage from rushing into the house from the sewer pipes.

“PWSA has not offered any educational assistance, let alone financial assistance. We have had several meetings with PWSA in The Run. Never once did they mention the benefits of having a back-flow valve in your basement,” she said.

She said she has been dealing with the flooding issues for 19 years. Then she added, “We’ve been promised solutions, or a fix, and we’ve gotten nothing. We’ve been asked to be patient, actually. So as far as a rate increase, I really don’t feel responsible to pay for this rate increase because I’m not getting anything from PWSA, aside from clean water. They’re not holding up to their share of the bargain from my personal point of view.”

Earlier in the hearing her neighbor, Ray Gerard, held up a series of photos showing the flooding in The Run. Ms. Vincent’s home was in some of the photos.

Mr. Gerard told the hearing officers that the water authority had put together a $42 million plan to deal with the flooding in The Run, but that project was defunded. Ziggy Edwards, another resident of The Run pointed out that Pittsburgh Water had already spent $8.7 million on the design of the flood control system before taking away the funding for construction.

Ms. Edwards said she did not know about the flooding before moving to The Run in 2016.

“I moved to The Run to be left alone and live a quiet life,” she said. “I did not get that.” (Mr. Gerard and Ms. Edwards are frequent contributors to The Homepage. Read more from them on Page 1.)

Nearly everyone who spoke also mentioned that the rates are not affordable.

Anna Dekleva, of Greenfield, who does not live in The Run, noted that the last increase, plus the new stormwater fee, raised rates for stormwater management and still the flooding in The Run persists.

She also talked about how water is already too costly.

“As a social worker, I meet with dozens of people every week who are unable to afford rent, food and utilities, never mind other basic expenses while working full-time jobs. It is sinister violence to charge us more for water, a resource we need for life and are inherently deserving of, when wages are stagnant and costs are rising sharply,” she said, predicting that “this rate increase will directly increase evictions, homelessness and adverse health outcomes.”

She also asked when these rate increases will stop.

“PWSA is not a streaming service that we can opt out of when times get tough.”

Ms. Dekleva has three young children, and her family has tried to cut back on the water they use. She said she has had appliances checked to make sure they are efficient. She installed rain barrels and saves rainwater to use in her garden. The children no longer have wading pools; instead they go to the public pool. In the winter, they reduced the number of baths the children take to save on water, but it has barely moved her bill.

“It’s really difficult to afford all of the utilities combined,” she said. “It’s not just that this cost is going up, it’s that all costs are going up.”

Mr. Gerard echoed her comments.

“It’s not just the water bill that keeps going up,” he said, pointing out that Duquesne Light has raised its rates and the cost of groceries is also higher. “Everything is going through the roof.”

“I don’t qualify for low income,” he noted, “but it’s getting there.” At the same time, he noted he can’t raise the rates for his business, or he will lose customers.

Gabriel Gray of Homewood speaks at the Aug. 12 Pennsylvania Utilities Commission hearing at the Healthy Active Living Center in Hazelwood. Her house flooded and she requested Pittsburgh Water shut off the water from the street because the valve in her home did not work. They took a month to do so and assessed her a $7,000 bill. She now lives in an apartment in Arlington. Photo by Ann Belser

Gabriel Gray, who owns a home in Homewood, now has to live in an apartment in Arlington because her house flooded. She said she couldn’t stop the water with the house shut off valve and called Pittsburgh Water to shut the water from the street. She said workers arrived to turn off the water but wouldn’t do it when she wasn’t home. She said that happened five times as the water continued to run into her home.

“Then, a month later I get a call from Pittsburgh Water saying, ‘Oh, we sent a technician to cut your water off because we saw a spike in your water usage.’ But that took a month for you to do.”

She can’t live in the house as it is. The basement needs to be redone. The house has black mold from the water and to add to all of it, Pittsburgh Water has assessed her with a $7,000 water bill.

She said she is asking for better customer care.

The last time water rates went up, Pittsburgh Water asked for a 70% increase and ultimately settled with opposing parties for a 16% increase.

The current rate increase proposal is opposed by the Office of the Consumer Advocate, the Office of the Small Business Advocate and Pittsburgh United Our Water Table.

Ann Belser is the publisher of Print community newspaper, which serves the East End. This article is reprinted with permission through the Pittsburgh Community Newspaper Network.