The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Thursday announced it has reached a settlement with Veolia related to the management services it provided to PWSA from 2012 to 2015. Through a mediated agreement, PWSA secured a $5 million settlement, and Veolia will pay $500,000 to a fund aiding PWSA’s most vulnerable customers.
“The settlement is a favorable outcome for PWSA, our customers, and the City of Pittsburgh,” stated Debbie Lestitian, PWSA Board Chair. “We have avoided lengthy and potentially costly arbitration while bolstering our customer assistance program. I appreciate the willingness of both parties to come to this settlement and I am pleased to close out this chapter in PWSA’s history.”
Both parties resolved all claims between them. Veolia agreed to withdraw all of its remaining claims totaling more than $4.9 million for payments from PWSA relating to the management services it provided.
The settlement concludes the arbitration between PWSA and Veolia. For PWSA, the agreement results in a combined savings and contributions to the community totaling more than $5 million.
At PWSA’s request, Veolia agreed to make a $500,000 contribution to a Pittsburgh-based community organization to provide assistance to customers having difficulty paying their water and sewer bill.
PWSA anticipates that Dollar Energy Fund will receive this contribution to expand the Customer Assistance Program established by the Authority this past November.
The two active programs funded through the Customer Assistance Program and administered by Dollar Energy Fund include the Bill Discount Program and the Winter Moratorium Program.
“We are pleased to have this behind us and are happy with the outcome of the settlement,” Debbie Lestitian, PWSA Board Chair stated. “We can now focus on the work we need to do to provide Pittsburgh with the water utility it expects and deserves, like replacing lead lines, investing in infrastructure, and improving customer service and billing functions.”
“We are excited to focus on this important work and look forward to providing our customers with updates throughout the year,” Lestitian stated.
For more information on the Authority, visit the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority website.
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