Peoples Gas to create new water company - Peoples Water (Pittsburgh: live, cost of)

[WhoIsStanwix?]

I read this over lunch today:

Peoples Says It Will Partner With PWSA To Deliver Cleaner, Greener Water | 90.5 WESA

A few thoughts to kick off the conversation:

1. Do they already have agreements with local municipalities to provide water?
2. Are they planning to serve the City of Pittsburgh from their location in O'Hara?
3. Is this an alternative to PWSA or a replacement for PWSA?

This is a very confusing press release given the lack of info from any public officials to this point. I will be interested to see how this plays out.

[RonSantoRules]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

I read this over lunch today:

Peoples Says It Will Partner With PWSA To Deliver Cleaner, Greener Water | 90.5 WESA

A few thoughts to kick off the conversation:

1. Do they already have agreements with local municipalities to provide water?
2. Are they planning to serve the City of Pittsburgh from their location in O'Hara?
3. Is this an alternative to PWSA or a replacement for PWSA?

This is a very confusing press release given the lack of info from any public officials to this point. I will be interested to see how this plays out.

Post-Gazette story seems to be more specific with details:

Peoples Gas unveils plans for water utility and treatment plant | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The partnership, as Peoples refers to it, would have a board equally split between public representatives and officials from Peoples Water, a new subsidiary being formed to carry the Peoples’ name and interest into its first foray into water utility service.

The water mains and distribution pipes currently in the ground would stay with PWSA, as would all sewer and stormwater infrastructure. But the new entity would begin replacing PWSA pipelines at the same time as Peoples Natural Gas replaces its aging system, a move that Mr. O’Brien said would cut the cost of replacement by half.

The partnership would own the new water pipelines put into the ground, and eventually the entire system would be rebuilt and belong to the partnership.

The centerpiece of the plan, which Mr. O’Brien will present at a hearing Tuesday evening in O’Hara, is a new $350 million water treatment plant in that township.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

I read this over lunch today:

Peoples Says It Will Partner With PWSA To Deliver Cleaner, Greener Water | 90.5 WESA

A few thoughts to kick off the conversation:

1. Do they already have agreements with local municipalities to provide water?
2. Are they planning to serve the City of Pittsburgh from their location in O'Hara?
3. Is this an alternative to PWSA or a replacement for PWSA?

This is a very confusing press release given the lack of info from any public officials to this point. I will be interested to see how this plays out.

PWSA doesn't serve all of Pittsburgh. It also serves Millvale and a strip of Allegheny riverfront all the way up to Blawnox. It's likely that the planned water treatment plant will be in the PWSA service zone - considering that it includes nearly the entire O'Hara riverfront.



It sounds to me like this is a stealth privatization of PWSA.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It sounds to me like this is a stealth privatization of PWSA.

This is my concern. Why are no public officials commenting on this? This seems like a huge issue, and if they signed a deal without public comment, also seems like a really bad if not illegal way of doing things. Alternatively, maybe this is People's way of forcing the public into supporting them and strong arming local leaders. Tough to say for sure, but I really do want to know more.

[AaronPGH]

Becoming increasingly fed up with how this city is being quietly sold to corporate interests. It's sinking in: a fracking company could be in charge of our water?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

This is my concern. Why are no public officials commenting on this? This seems like a huge issue, and if they signed a deal without public comment, also seems like a really bad if not illegal way of doing things. Alternatively, maybe this is People's way of forcing the public into supporting them and strong arming local leaders. Tough to say for sure, but I really do want to know more.

Doesn't seem like any deal has yet been reached. But having the mayor's former chief of staff now the VP/General Counsel of Peoples looks crooked AF.

[PghYinzer]

Peoples is basically saying they can fix the problem for cheaper than PWSA, drafted a plan that they are hoping is too good to pass up. The city has not agreed to anything at this point. PennAmerican is doing the same. They know that the PWSA has created a beast of a problem that seems almost impossible to fix, so Peoples is trying to work their way in and solve it for them. City residents are going to have to either buck up or sell out and Peoples knows that.

As for Acklin, they shadiness is on his part. He knows the inner workings of the PWSA, takes a job at Peoples, and then magically they have this proposal. s

[WhoIsStanwix?]

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We're not a party to the announcement nor do we have details of their proposal. Any partnership would have to undergo a full public process. We're focused on continuing our recent progress by replacing lead lines, improving our water quality and renewing our infrastructure.