Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County to replace lead water lines at no cost

Mere months after launching a program that could have charged homeowners in the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County service area up to $3,000 to replace old and potentially dangerous lead water lines, the authority's board has now changed course.

Customers will now pay nothing to allow crews onto their property to replace those pipes.

Spokesperson Matthew Junker says the change came after a poor response from customers who still have lead lines that need to be replaced.

"These eight communities where the replacement program is, where we got money to finance it, are all lower income," said Junker. "The board of directors decided after consideration to waive the fee and hopefully increase participation."

The authority serves around 123,000 customers, not just in Westmoreland County, but across four surrounding counties as well. 

Officials estimate there are still about 12,000 lead service lines remaining in their coverage area. Most of the work right now is focused on communities around Vandergrift, Apollo, and Leechburg.

Junker says the push to replace those lines is being driven in part by new EPA regulations set to take effect nationwide in 2027, requiring water authorities to address lead service lines over the next decade.

"All water utilities in the United States are going to be working towards replacing these lines," said Junker. "So, we want to demonstrate that we are heading towards compliance in a responsible manner, and this was judged to be the best way to do that."

If you know you have lead pipes and you are a customer of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, officials advise you to reach out to them. You can learn more by visiting their website at this link.