Watch CBS News

Mayor Peduto Stresses Importance Of Planning, Funding In Face Of PWSA Issues

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It could take up to two months to repair a broken water line in Etna, according to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.

A crack in the 100-year-old, 60-inch pipe was discovered last week. It was leaking so much that water levels at two local reservoirs dropped.

The excavation is now complete and the line cut off for repairs, but the costs are expected to begin adding up soon.

On Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto stressed how vital long-term planning and funding is when it comes to the region's aging infrastructure.

He told KDKA, "There are still several critical areas in PWSA that if an area should fail, it could cause significant damage to the delivery of water in the city of Pittsburgh."

He says many of those critical areas have been identified.

"This should have been done decades ago," the mayor said. "There are no five-year plans; there are no 10-year plans. And what you're seeing now is, if you did this to your house, your roof would be leaking, your back porch would be falling apart, you'd be seeing all these other things happen."

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

Meanwhile, the PWSA says water service or quality should not be impacted while crews are working.

"Making sure we're not just putting a band aid on this, but we're actually repairing it is going to be the critical part of it and that's where the cost will come out," Mayor Peduto said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.