{"id":14920,"date":"2025-04-01T12:20:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T11:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/?post_type=executive-exchange&p=14920"},"modified":"2025-11-21T17:16:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:16:48","slug":"ep-22","status":"publish","type":"executive-exchange","link":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delivering a world-class lead replacement programme: Pittsburgh Water\u2019s story<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many utilities, lead service lines are the quiet legacy problem everyone knows they\u2019ll have to tackle \u201cone day\u201d. For Pittsburgh Water<\/strong>, that \u201cone day\u201d arrived abruptly in 2016 \u2013 in the full glare of public scrutiny, with Flint, Michigan still dominating headlines.<\/p>\n

In this episode of the Exec Exchange<\/strong>, host Dr. Piers Clark<\/strong> talks to Will Pickering<\/strong>, Chief Executive at Pittsburgh Water, about how the organisation went from regulatory crisis to delivering one of the most ambitious lead service line replacement programmes in the United States.<\/p>\n

\n

From political science to pipes and public trust<\/h3>\n

Will didn\u2019t start life as a water engineer. He studied political science<\/strong> in California and thought he\u2019d become a lawyer \u2013 until exposure to real-world attorneys cured him of that idea. Instead, he was drawn into local government and public policy<\/strong>, and eventually into water and wastewater.<\/p>\n

After several years at DC Agua<\/strong> \u2013 including during its own high-profile lead issues in the early 2000s \u2013 Will moved to Pittsburgh in 2016 as head of communications. It was, as he puts it, \u201ca very interesting time\u201d to join.<\/p>\n

The utility had just:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Exceeded the US lead action level<\/strong> (15 parts per billion), returning results around 20\u201321 ppb<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Dismissed its executive director<\/strong>, with governance and performance under question<\/li>\n
  • Been pulled into the national conversation created by the Flint lead crisis<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Within a few years, Will would move from managing the message to leading the entire organisation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \n

    When corrosion control fails<\/h3>\n

    Unlike Flint, Pittsburgh did no<\/em> change its source water. The problem lay in its corrosion control strategy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The utility had long relied on soda ash and lime<\/strong>. By 2016, it was clear that approach simply wasn\u2019t protecting customers: lead was leaching from ageing service lines into drinking water.<\/p>\n

    The path forward had two essential pillars:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Fix the chemistry<\/strong> \u2013 secure approval and facilities to move to orthophosphate<\/strong> dosing, the proven corrosion control workhorse in many US cities.<\/li>\n
    2. Remove the lead<\/strong> \u2013 design and deliver a large-scale lead service line replacement programme, not just to regain compliance, but to eliminate the risk from the system.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Getting the permits and infrastructure in place for orthophosphate took time. In parallel, Pittsburgh Water began planning a physical replacement effort that would deliberately go beyond the bare minimum required by regulation.<\/p>\n

      \n

      The hard decision: replacing what you don\u2019t \u201cown\u201d<\/h3>\n

      In Pittsburgh, as in many US cities, responsibility for the lead service line is split<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • En public side<\/strong>: from the water main in the street to (typically) the curb<\/li>\n
      • En private side<\/strong>: from the curb into the property \u2013 owned by the customer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Legally, Pittsburgh Water could have restricted its effort to the public side and left the rest to homeowners.<\/p>\n

        Technically, they knew better.<\/p>\n

        Partial replacements can actually increase lead exposure<\/strong> at individual properties, by disturbing existing scales and leaving lead-behind pipework inside the boundary. Ethically and operationally, it made no sense.<\/p>\n

        So the utility took a bold position:<\/p>\n

        When we find a lead service line, we replace all of it<\/strong> \u2013 public and private \u2013 and we pay<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        Internally, this triggered all the predictable worries: legal liability, precedent, potential pushback from the plumbing trade. Externally, it landed exactly as you\u2019d hope: as a clear signal that the utility was putting public health and trust<\/strong>ahead of narrow interpretations of ownership.<\/p>\n

        In dozens of community meetings, Will can count on one hand the objections he heard to that approach.<\/p>\n

        \n

        From compliance to complete removal<\/h3>\n

        By summer 2020<\/strong>, Pittsburgh Water\u2019s orthophosphate system was online and effective. The utility was back in compliance<\/strong> with the Lead and Copper Rule.<\/p>\n

        They could have stopped there. They didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

        Instead, they committed to full removal of all known lead service lines by 2027<\/strong>. To date, the utility has:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Replaced roughly 12,500 public lead service lines<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Replaced the matching private-side lines wherever they\u2019re found<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Built a dedicated customer engagement and scheduling team<\/strong> to coordinate thousands of in-home visits<\/li>\n
        • Leveraged federal funding<\/strong>, particularly through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more aggressively than any other water utility in Pennsylvania<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          There\u2019s a practical side benefit too: Pittsburgh Water uses each access to the basement to modernise meters (e.g. AMI)<\/strong>and tidy up legacy issues in one visit.<\/p>\n

          The programme is now mature enough that other utilities regularly come calling. Will\u2019s team fields enquiries from around a dozen organisations a year \u2013 and they share everything: design choices, data, engagement strategies, and the bruises picked up along the way.<\/p>\n

          No trade secrets. Just sector learning.<\/p>\n

          \n

          What other utilities can take from Pittsburgh\u2019s journey<\/h3>\n

          You don\u2019t have to be dealing with lead to recognise the parallels. For any utility facing a long-tail infrastructure risk, there are some clear lessons in Pittsburgh\u2019s story:<\/p>\n

          1. Don\u2019t hide behind the asset boundary<\/strong>
          \n\u201cPublic side only\u201d is often legally defensible and operationally tempting. It rarely passes the public-interest test \u2013 and in some cases, as with partial lead replacements, it can make things worse.<\/p>\n

          2. Put community-facing capability on equal footing with engineering<\/strong>
          \nLead replacement isn\u2019t just main replacement with different fittings. Technically<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":14899,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-14920","executive-exchange","type-executive-exchange","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEp 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water | Isle Utilities<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water | Isle Utilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Delivering a world-class lead replacement programme: Pittsburgh Water\u2019s story For many utilities, lead service lines are the quiet legacy problem everyone knows they\u2019ll have to tackle \u201cone day\u201d. For Pittsburgh Water, that \u201cone day\u201d arrived abruptly in 2016 \u2013 in the full glare of public scrutiny, with Flint, Michigan still dominating headlines. In this episode...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Isle Utilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-21T16:16:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"718\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"966\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water | Isle Utilities\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-01T11:20:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-21T16:16:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png\",\"width\":718,\"height\":966,\"caption\":\"The Exec Exchange Podcast\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/executive-exchange\\\/ep-22\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/\",\"name\":\"Isle Utilities\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Isle\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Isle Utilities\",\"alternateName\":\"Isle\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/icon.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Isle Utilities\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/isleutilities.com\\\/pt\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water | Isle Utilities","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water | Isle Utilities","og_description":"Delivering a world-class lead replacement programme: Pittsburgh Water\u2019s story For many utilities, lead service lines are the quiet legacy problem everyone knows they\u2019ll have to tackle \u201cone day\u201d. For Pittsburgh Water, that \u201cone day\u201d arrived abruptly in 2016 \u2013 in the full glare of public scrutiny, with Flint, Michigan still dominating headlines. In this episode...","og_url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/","og_site_name":"Isle Utilities","article_modified_time":"2025-11-21T16:16:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":718,"height":966,"url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Tiempo de lectura":"4 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/","url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/","name":"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water | Isle Utilities","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png","datePublished":"2025-04-01T11:20:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-21T16:16:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/The-Exec-Exchange-Podcast-Youtube-Thumbnail-6.png","width":718,"height":966,"caption":"The Exec Exchange Podcast"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/executive-exchange\/ep-22\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ep 22: Delivering a World Class Lead Replacement Programme: Will Pickering, CEO at Pittsburgh Water"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/#website","url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/","name":"Isle Utilities","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Isle","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/#organization","name":"Isle Utilities","alternateName":"Isle","url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/icon.png","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Isle Utilities"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/pt\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/executive-exchange\/14920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/executive-exchange"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/executive-exchange"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/isleutilities.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}