Erie City Water Authority

Erie City Water Authority, doing business as Erie Water Works, is a local government-owned water utility based in Erie, Pennsylvania that acts as a sub-recipient on federal water infrastructure grants funded through Pennvest, a state financing program channeling federal funds. The utility does not hold prime federal contracts or compete on open procurement vehicles; its federal activity flows entirely through sub-award grants focused on lead service line removal and water system infrastructure replacement in the Erie area.

Erie Water Works' federal footprint is narrow and concentrated. The Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 anchors 10 of 15 total awards but carries no specified potential value in the source. The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 4 represents 4 awards with $200 thousand combined potential value, and the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service Region 3 accounts for 1 award valued at $8 thousand. The vendor is a sub-recipient (67% of awards) rather than a prime recipient (33%), meaning its grants flow through Pennvest as the prime grantee. Award activity clustered in 2024 (4 awards) and 2025 (3 awards), with 1 award recorded in 2026 as of late January. Over the 15-year source period, Erie Water Works has received $71.7 million in obligated dollars against $208 thousand in combined potential value — a data artifact indicating that potential-value reporting on these sub-awards is incomplete or categorical rather than individually quantified.

Capability-wise, Erie Water Works executes lead service line replacement and water system modernization work. Representative sub-awards include a Pennvest-administered project awarded January 30, 2026 targeting galvanized customer-side service line replacement in disadvantaged areas of Erie; two October 2, 2025 sub-awards (each targeting approximately 1,250 galvanized customer-side service lines over three years); a December 5, 2024 sub-award for wrought iron service connections with lead goosenecks, with approximately 6,400 connections in the distribution system; and a May 1, 2024 sub-award for the Asbury Tank Pump Station replacement, including design and construction of a new pump station with electrical components, chemical feed systems, pumping, controls, and emergency power to meet current and foreseeable water supply demands. NAICS concentration aligns with Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (4 awards) and Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (1 award).

As a local government entity, Erie Water Works does not hold SBA certifications and does not compete under set-asides. The vendor operates exclusively as a sub-recipient on pass-through federal grant funding administered by state intermediaries, not as a prime contractor or direct federal grantee.