Press Release

PUC to Hold Additional Public Input Hearings on Rate Increase Request by Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority in Late August

Published on 8/9/2023

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Two Additional Telephonic Public Input Hearings Will Be Held on August 29 to Gather Public Input from Customers and Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today announced the scheduling of two additional late-August telephonic hearings to gather public input on the request by Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) to increase its rates. These hearings, scheduled for August 29^th, are in addition to a series of four in-person and telephonic hearings that were held in Pittsburgh in late July.

PUC Public Input Hearings

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

• Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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

Signing Up for the Telephonic Public Input Hearings

If you wish to testify at the telephonic public input hearings, you are encouraged to pre-register by 4 p.m. on August 28, 2023.

You can register by contacting the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) toll free at 1-800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.  

If registering by email, include following information:

• Your first and last name.
• The date and time of the public input hearing at which you wish to testify.
• 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.

Requests for 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.

Hearing Exhibits

If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during the telephonic hearing, please email them to the OCA at consumer@paoca.org.  The OCA will forward the exhibits to the judge and all parties. 

Exhibits must be received by August 28, 2023.

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

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at 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:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov