Pennsylvania American Water customers have a new tool at their disposal to see where their water bill dollars are flowing. The company today announced the launch of an interactive web-based map of its 2017 infrastructure upgrade projects. The user-friendly map allows the public to view details about water and wastewater pipe projects across the company’s service areas.
“Often, customers do not see their water bills at work because we may not be upgrading infrastructure in their neighborhood, and underground water and wastewater pipes are typically considered out of sight, out of mind,” said Pennsylvania American Water President Jeffrey McIntyre. “This innovative tool showcases our projects and provides details using an interactive map that is accessible from any computer or smartphone.”
McIntyre stated 52 cents of every dollar of the customer’s monthly bill is reinvested into system improvements and replacing aging infrastructure, while 29 cents is directed to operating expenses such as fuel and power, and the remaining 19 cents goes for tax-related costs. Each year, Pennsylvania American Water typically invests $250 million – $300 million for maintenance and upgrades to its water and wastewater systems.
“It is widely known that our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure is aging and needs to be repaired or replaced,” McIntyre said. “Our engineering and operations teams work closely with local communities to identify problem areas, which helps us plan where to proactively replace and upgrade our infrastructure. For customers, it means improved service reliability, water quality and fire protection.”
The map is located on Pennsylvania American Water’s website under the Water Quality tab and System Updates page at https://amwater.com/paaw/water-quality/system-updates. It features summaries of pipe upgrades across the state, total dollars invested and length of pipe being installed. Users can navigate the map by panning and zooming similar to other popular web-based maps. By clicking on individual projects, users can see specific project details including affected streets. Projects shown on the map are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
