Press Release

PUC Holds Public Input Hearings on Rate Increase Request by Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority

Published on 7/14/2023

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

In-Person and Telephonic Hearings Scheduled for July 25 and July 27, to Gather Public Input from Customers and Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today announced a series of in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input on the request by Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) to increase its rates.

PUC Public Input Hearings

In-person public input hearings will be held at the following location and times:

Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Jeron X. Grayson Community Center (Media Room) 
1852 Enoch Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Telephonic public input hearings will be held on the following date and times:

Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Administrative Law Judge Gail M. Chiodo will preside over the hearings.

Signing Up for the In-Person Public Input Hearings

If you wish to testify at an in-person public input hearing, you are encouraged to pre-register with the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) by email at consumer@paoca.org or by phone at 1-800-684-6560 and provide:

• Your first and last name.
• The date and time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
• The telephone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you.
• Your email address if you have one.
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

You may also register through the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority by clicking here.

Signing Up for the Telephonic Public Input Hearings

If you wish to testify at one of the telephonic public input hearings, you are encouraged to pre-register with the OCA by email to consumer@paoca.org or by phone at 1-800-684-6560. Or you may also register through the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority by clicking here.  

The deadline for pre-registering to testify in the telephonic public input hearings is by 3 p.m. on the day before the hearing.

If you do not wish to testify, but want to listen to the public input hearing, you may contact the OCA to obtain the call-in information by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

Interpreters and Assistance Registering

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible.  If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter.  If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. 

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide all the information listed above.  Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but all the information listed above is needed for each individual testifying. 

Relay service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 1-800-654-5988.

Exhibits

If you intend to offer exhibits at the public input hearing, you please email your proposed exhibit(s) to consumer@paoca.org.  

Exhibits must be received by July 26, 2023.

NOTE:  Individuals representing themselves are not required to be represented by an attorney.  All others, including corporations, partnerships, associations, trusts, governmental agencies or subdivision, must be represented by an attorney.  An attorney representing you should file a Notice of Appearance before the scheduled hearing date.

Offering Testimony at a Public Input Hearing

The PUC offers tips on how to participate in a public input hearing, including:

• Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.
• Any formal testimony that is offered during the hearing will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision.
• Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.

PWSA’s Request

On May 9, 2023, PWSA filed a multi-year rate proposal that would increase overall revenues for water, wastewater, and stormwater services by a total of $146.1 million – phased in over the next three years – including a combined increase of $46.8 million (22.5%) for the 2024 fiscal year, an increase of $45.4 million (17.8%) for the 2025 fiscal year, and an increase of $53.9 million (17.9%) for the 2026 fiscal year.

For water services, the request filed by PWSA includes an increase of approximately $36.5 million (27.3%) in 2024, along with an increase of approximately $32 million (18.8%) in 2025, and further increase of approximately $38.3 million (18.9%) in 2025.

For wastewater services, the PWSA plan includes an increase of approximately $3.3 million (6.5%) for 2024, along with an increase of approximately $6.9 million (12.6%) in 2025, and a further increase of approximately $9.5 million (15.4%) for 2026.

For stormwater services, the PWSA proposal includes increases of approximately $6.7 million (28.2%) for 2024, along with an increase of approximately $6.5 million (21.4%) for 2025, and a further increase of approximately $6.2 million (16.7%) for 2026.

PWSA provides service to approximately 116,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities.

About the PUC

Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket Nos.: R-2023-3039919; R-2023-3039920; R-2023-3039921

Contact:

• Denise McCracken
  Senior Communications Specialist
  717-787-5722
  demccracken@pa.gov