Water filter service in Pittsburgh, PA

What is in the water in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is served by Pittsburgh Water (formerly PWSA) .

Source water: The Allegheny River, with treated water distributed through a system that includes the Lanpher Reservoir serving the northern part of the city and the Borough of Millvale. Reported by Pittsburgh Water for 2024.

Orthophosphate has been added since April 2019, following a year-long study and approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. It is a food-grade additive that builds a protective layer on the inside of lead pipes, forming a barrier between the metal and the water. A second treatment station was brought online to cover the northern part of the city and Millvale. Over 60 samples a week are taken across the system, checking lead, orthophosphate and pH together, because corrosion control only works when all three stay in range.

These figures describe the distribution system. Your own tap can differ, and for lead it very likely does.

We do not yet hold a sourced figure for every field on this page. Where something is missing it is left blank rather than estimated, because an unsourced number here would look like information.

Buildings and plumbing in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has run one of the more aggressive replacement programmes in the country and the results show in the sampling. The 90th percentile lead result was 3.4 parts per billion in July 2023, described as the lowest in over 20 years, and 3.58 in February 2024, against a federal action level of 15. The utility returned to full Lead and Copper Rule compliance in July 2020. The 11,000th lead service line was removed in April 2024, thirteen months after the 10,000th. Importantly, the utility does not do partial replacements: both the publicly and privately owned portions are replaced, at no cost to the customer, because replacing only half a lead line can temporarily make exposure worse.

PFAS in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Water has monitored for PFAS since 2018, well before it was required to, and now tests quarterly for 29 different PFAS compounds. Since testing began it has never exceeded the federal maximum contaminant levels. For reference, the standard finalised in April 2024 sets 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS and 10 parts per trillion for GenX, PFHxS and PFNA. Across the wider system the utility carries out an average of 3,000 water quality tests a month over a 965 mile distribution network. On a supply with this monitoring record, PFAS treatment is not indicated unless your own circumstances suggest otherwise.

Source: Pittsburgh Water, 2024. More on confirming and treating this on our PFAS page.

What this means in practice

• Chlorine and chloramine taste. Confirm with free and total chlorine test strip, plus the utility report for the disinfectant type.
• Lead in drinking water. Confirm with certified laboratory analysis of a first-draw tap sample.
• PFAS. Confirm with certified laboratory analysis using an epa-approved pfas method.

What these figures mean for filter choice

Lead is a plumbing question rather than a supply question in Pittsburgh, as it is everywhere. What that means practically is that a filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 for lead at the tap you drink from sits downstream of the entire problem, whereas a whole-house filter at the point of entry sits upstream of nearly all of it and costs several times more.

Filters that apply here

• Lead reduction filters. Point-of-use filters certified for lead under NSF/ANSI 53.
• PFAS reduction systems. Reverse osmosis or a certified activated carbon system aimed at per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
• Under-sink carbon filters. A carbon block cartridge on the cold line under the sink.
• Reverse osmosis, tank. A membrane system under the sink that produces treated water to a dedicated tap and stores it in a small pressure tank.
• Whole-house filtration. A filter plumbed into the main line where water enters the building, so every tap, shower, and appliance downstream is fed treated water.

Installation in Pittsburgh

• Free water testing. Typically 45 to 60 minutes.
• Whole-house filter installation. Typically 3 to 5 hours.
• Under-sink reverse osmosis installation. Typically 2 to 4 hours.
• Repair, any brand. Typically 1 to 3 hours.

Renters, co-ops, and businesses

• Options for renters
• Co-ops and condos
• Offices and commercial sites

Local programmes

• Lead service line replacement at no cost. Both the public and private portions of a lead service line are replaced free of charge, with the utility working toward replacing all remaining lead lines. Partial replacements are deliberately avoided.

Nearby areas

• Erie, PA , Erie County
• Harrisburg, PA , Dauphin County
• Lancaster, PA , Lancaster County

Sources

• Pittsburgh Water, 2024.
• Pittsburgh Water, 2024.
• Pittsburgh Water, 2024.
• Population: US Census Bureau sub-county population estimates, Vintage 2024 (POPESTIMATE2024).