Pennsylvania Water Companies:
More than 200 Years of Excellence
Pennsylvania’s water companies collectively invest hundreds of millions of dollars in their systems every year to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of the highest quality drinking water to the 4.4 million customers they serve across the Commonwealth.
Communities across Pennsylvania all want the same thing for their residents – to ensure that they can count on the highest quality water and the most reliable water and wastewater service. That’s exactly what Pennsylvania’s water companies have been providing to their customers for more than 200 years.
Pennsylvania’s water companies are investing millions of dollars every year into their systems to ensure the highest quality water and the most reliable service. These companies, which employ more than 2,000 Pennsylvanians, bring operational expertise, strategic investment, and enhanced customer protections to the communities they serve, all within a highly regulated and transparent framework.
Study after study has shown that the water provided by water companies is of higher quality than that provided by government-run systems. In Pennsylvania, systems owned and operated by water companies are 37.4 percent less likely to have a health-based Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) violation than government-run systems.
THE MANY REASONS TO WORK WITH A PENNSYLVANIA WATER COMPANY
Pennsylvania’s water companies provide the highest quality water and the most reliable service every day to their 4.4 million customers across the Commonwealth. These companies bring unparalleled operational expertise. While municipalities have many competing priorities, water companies focus solely on delivering high-quality, safe water.
An unparalleled water quality compliance record
Multiple studies of EPA data have found that water companies nationally have a superior drinking water quality record compared to local governments. Systems owned and operated by Pennsylvania’s water companies are 37.4 percent less likely to have a health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation than government-run systems in the Commonwealth.1
Enable local governments to make urgent capital investments in their infrastructure
Water companies in the Commonwealth collectively invest more than $800 million annually to help update their critical water infrastructure and to keep water safe and service reliable. These are dollars coming from the private sector and not out of a municipal budget.
Strictly regulated, enhancing transparency and consumer protection
The water companies that operate in the Commonwealth are highly regulated by the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC). The PUC sets water rates, audits expenditures, and approves investment plans. The result is the delivery of the safest water at the lowest possible cost. Similar independent oversight does not occur for government-run systems.
Strong worker safety and security records
More than 2,000 Pennsylvanians work for a water company – these are our friends, neighbors and family members. A review of federal data shows a 34.6% lower rate of injury and illnesses for private water utility workers compared to municipal workers between 2011 and 2021.2
- Analysis of PA data derived from Allaire, Wu, and Lall in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “National trends in drinking water quality violations” Feb. 2018
- NAICS 2213: Water, sewage, and other systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics Injury and Illness Incidence Rates, 2011-2020