Wherever you live, you should be able to access safe, affordable water right from your tap. Across the globe, from Flint to Lagos, communities are fighting for the human right to water and to protect one of our most essential public services.
And this spring, the people of Pittsburgh moved to make this a long-term reality. In a historic referendum, 78% of voters chose to keep the city’s water and sewer system public, banning its sale or lease to private entities.
This monumental victory will protect Pittsburgh from the slew of corporate water takeovers in Pennsylvania, incentivized by pro-privatization policies and years of industry lobbying. And as the second major U.S. city to ban the most extreme forms of water privatization, following Baltimore, Pittsburgh has set a precedent for other communities to follow.
Pittsburgh water organizers, led by Pennsylvania United and Pittsburgh United’s Our Water Campaign, and many other local groups, mobilized together to ensure this critical victory. We supported this powerhouse coalition in the weeks leading up to the referendum by mobilizing local members to vote, and helping to organize a community education event. Together, we’re proving it’s possible to protect our public services from corporate control.
Pittsburgh’s ongoing campaign for water justice
Unfortunately, the people of Pittsburgh know the dangers of privatization all too well. In 2014, under private water giant Veolia’s management, the city’s water authority switched a corrosion control chemical used to prevent lead contamination to a cheaper alternative without the required state approval, and a lead crisis soon followed. Pittsburgh is not the only city to face a severe fallout from a private water contract.
Across the globe, private water corporations have targeted struggling communities with dangerous privatization schemes. Since corporations are ultimately beholden to maximizing profits for the shareholders, not the public good, privatization has all too often led to higher water rates, job losses, and cost-cutting that endangers public health. In 2016, we partnered with Pittsburgh United to expose Veolia’s role in the lead crisis and the coalition won commitments from the city’s former mayor to keep Pittsburgh’s water public.
In the years since, local organizers have built on these campaign victories by advocating for water affordability programs and greater community input in local water policies. But under the looming threat of privatization, organizers knew that Pittsburgh needed to root out any possibility of a corporate water takeover. So they came together to establish a ballot referendum, and secured unanimous support from the city council to put this issue to a public vote.
Pittsburgh organizers mobilize voters through public education and community dialogue
Pennsylvania United and Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services launched a robust campaign to organize community support. The coalition reached out to residents, sharing information on the dangers of privatization, and urging them to vote in support. To bolster this outreach, we collaborated with local organizers in planning the second annual Flint/Pittsburgh Day of Action. Held on the weekend before the vote, this solidarity event brought people together in Highland Park, home to two Pittsburgh water reservoirs. Together, activists, local officials, and community members commemorated the eleventh year anniversary of the start of the Flint water crisis, and called on Pittsburgh residents to vote in favor of the referendum.
Leaders from across the city spoke to the importance of protecting water for all. Gabby Gray, lead water organizer at Pittsburgh United, opened the rally by reading our solidarity statement, which highlighted the role Veolia, the world’s largest privatizer, played in both Flint and Pittsburgh’s water crises. Pittsburgh City Council member Deb Gross, Fawn Walker-Montgomery with Take Action Advocacy Group, Curtis Da’Von with Clean Water Action PA, and Chief Pomaj-Chakmam-Yajalaji with Upstream Pittsburgh, reminded us that we are connected in the fight to protect water from corporate control.
By coming together, across neighborhoods, cities, and states we can protect one of our most essential public services.
Pittsburgh coalition partners came together to advocate for water justice in the city and to remember the struggle and strength of residents in Flint, Michigan, who 11 years later are without safe access to water. Photo credit: Pennsylvania United
Pittsburgh provides a model for community resistance to privatization
After months of knocking on doors and speaking with community members, building on years of local organizing, Pittsburgh decided to safeguard the city’s water from future privatization threats. Voters’ preemptive action has enshrined public ownership of water into law and helped ensure public control of one of their most essential services. Pittsburgh’s story teaches us that through community dialogue, public education, and collective action, we can take on powerful corporate interests and win!
