Press Releases

PITTSBURGH, PA (Sept. 30, 2025) – A beautiful, sunny fall day provided the perfect setting for about 30 volunteers from Pennsylvania American Water and staff from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) as they spruced up the Conservancy’s garden at the Point in downtown Pittsburgh with mulch and colorful chrysanthemums this morning.

Pennsylvania American Water has generously sponsored multiple Conservancy community flower gardens over the past 25 years, including the garden at the Point. The company has provided more than $300,000 in garden sponsorships since 2000; its generosity is recognized on signage at 12 of WPC’s gardens.

Volunteers from the company, as well as from Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps, joined WPC staff to plant red, orange, yellow and purple mums near the signs that recognize the Pennsylvania American Water sponsorship at the Point garden, a lush garden filled with plants and greenery that welcome people entering Point State Park and the city from the Fort Pitt Bridge. The group also prepared the garden for winter by weeding, removing annual flowers and mulching the beds.

By participating in this event, Pennsylvania American Water volunteers joined American Water employees companywide for AmerICANs in Action! Month of Service, an American Water initiative that occurs annually in September. In 2024, more than 900 volunteers stepped up to help their neighbors, participating in 84 community volunteer projects and providing more than 3,000 hours of service.

“Pennsylvania American Water’s sponsorship helps make it possible for the Conservancy to purchase flowers, mulch and other supplies to help establish and sustain the 130 community gardens in 20 counties in Western and Central Pennsylvania,” says Conservancy President Tom Saunders. The company also provides water access at 19 Conservancy community gardens in Allegheny, Butler and Fayette counties.

”These green spaces benefit communities in so many ways,” Tom says. “Not only do they support pollinators, help absorb excess stormwater and bring vibrant color to urban spaces, they also create opportunities for volunteers to connect and give back. Pennsylvania American Water helps to make this happen.”

In addition, the company has assisted the Conservancy with various projects over the years, including watershed restoration work, planting fruit trees in a community food garden and the creation of a new flower garden in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Oliver neighborhood.

"Gardens, such as the one at the Point, make communities across the region more livable and welcoming, but the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s work goes even further. They strive to restore and conserve habitats, watersheds and greenspaces, too," said Pennsylvania American Water President Justin Ladner. "Supporting the Conservancy’s work is a natural fit for Pennsylvania American Water, as it aligns with our efforts to protect the environment and help ensure safe, clean and reliable water for our communities. We’re proud that our partnership with this outstanding organization has grown over the last 25 years, and this volunteer event is truly symbolic of our ongoing collaboration.”

For more information about the Conservancy’s community gardens and other greening efforts, visit WaterLandLife.org/community-greening.

Photos of volunteers mulching and planting the garden at today’s event are available for media use, courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Pennsylvania American Water: https://we.tl/t-Gr7uGXtjWV.

About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.

About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,700 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About Pennsylvania American Water
Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.4 million people.