Water is so essential to human life, access to it has been determined by the U.N. to be a human right. In July of last year, In the Public Interest produced a report called “Water Wars in Pennsylvania: How Corporations Play the Long Game” that surfaced the tactics of corporate interests to capture public water and sewer systems. 

Now a working group at the University of Pittsburgh, Closing the Water Gap, has documented a number of citizen-led campaigns to prevent the privatization of this vital resource.

The group published a StoryMap, “Flowing Back to the People: Community Action for Preserving Public Management of Local Water Systems,” detailing the efforts of Pennsylvanians “to promote democratic and transparent municipal water and sanitation governance.” The group also produced an organizing toolkit “for tips on defending public water and building community-led action.

The story map focuses on a citizen-led campaign that successfully stopped the sale of the North Versailles sewer system to the private utility Aqua Pennsylvania, a sale agreement residents believed was hastily arranged with minimal public knowledge. 

The win, the report states, “sparked a broader civic renaissance. The community secured its first grant for a public library, began drafting a home rule charter, and increased participation in local governance. Four residents earned seats on advisory boards, and others are running for commissioner positions in 2025.”

“Flowing Back to the People” also contains case studies of residents of other Pennsylvania communities joining together to fight off privatization attempts, including Pittsburgh’s ballot initiative this past May to ensure that the city’s water and sewer system remains publicly owned and operated. 

We’re pleased that our publications—both our “Water Wars” report, and another report, “Cutting Corners: How Government Contractors Harm the Public in Pursuit of Profit”—were among the sources referenced in the working group’s report. 

While we continue to be concerned over the health of our democracy at the federal level, this report from Closing the Water Gap about everyday people fighting back against corporate power and winning is welcome good news–a tonic, if you will.

Donald Cohen
Executive Director