PWSA prepares its own bottled water

Look out, Dasani.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has begun bottling its own water to give out during community events and public-safety emergencies.

It's called PGH2O, and it comes in clear plastic bottles with -- who would have guessed? -- a black-and-gold label.

"Pittsburgh's finest water," it says.

But it won't be sold in stores or be easy to find, and it won't soon eclipse Iron City as Pittsburgh's iconic beverage.

The bottled water is being produced in limited quantities to give out at festivals and to distribute at day-care centers, nursing homes, senior citizen high-rises, dialysis centers and other care facilities during water emergencies, authority spokeswoman Melissa Rubin said.

The bottling also is intended to be an image-booster, a way to build the brand of an agency with its share of problems and controversies in recent years.

Creekside Springs bottling company in Ambridge sent a tanker truck to collect water at the authority's microfiltration plant in Highland Park. The company then produced about 11,760 bottles of water.

The label bears the city coat of arms and a tongue-in-cheek sales pitch.

"Need water for domestic, commercial or industrial use? We have the best in Pittsburgh. PGH2O meets or exceeds all federal, state and local standards ... Better hurry, though. We can only guarantee another 45 million gallons per day for new customers."

The authority paid Creekside Springs $3,400. That covered the cost of bottling PWSA's water, and it also covered PWSA's purchase of four pallets of Creekside-produced water in gallon jugs, which Ms. Rubin said could be used for flushing toilets. She said the authority bought Creekside's water for that purpose because it was cheaper than having more of PWSA's water bottled.

The authority long has taken a water buffalo to festivals and facilities experiencing service interruptions. Ms. Rubin said bottled water is a better option in some cases, such as service problems at buildings serving senior citizens. In at least one emergency, she said, authority employees bought bottled water for seniors.

"We can't be the water authority and hand out Giant Eagle water," she said.

Pennsylvania-American Water Co. also has given out bottled water for promotional purposes but now is moving to more eco-friendly giveaways, such as recyclable cups that can be filled with tap water, spokesman Gary Lobaugh said. In an emergency, he said, Pennsylvania-American distributes water in gallon jugs.

Other municipal water systems also bottle their water, Mr. Lobaugh said.

The authority bottled water before but stopped five to seven years ago because it had a difficult time finding a bottler, Thomas Palmosina, interim co-executive director, said.

The debut of PGH2O was a bright spot for an authority buffeted this year by a billing dispute with Iron City and the departure of executive director Michael Kenney amid ethics questions.

State Rep. Dan Deasy, D-Westwood, authority chairman, said the authority is close to advertising for a new executive director. He said a volunteer task force has been working on the job posting.

First published on June 11, 2011 at 12:00 am