Pittsburgh continues to evolve from its industrial past to become a national leader in innovation and sustainability, the Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory seeks to unite researchers in the Department of Geology & Environmental Science at the University of Pittsburgh with communities, NGOs, and opinion leaders in the establishment of a new initiative dedicated to "Water." Since January 2018, the team of Pitt researchers has launched a multi-faceted effort comprised of focused Research, Education, and Outreach activities.  Five hypothesis-driven Research projects were launched that will fill critical gaps in assessing the scientific basis for management of water challenges in the Pittsburgh region.  Research project tackle issues of water quality, stormwater runoff, legacy metal pollution, infrastructure failure and localized flooding using advanced scientific tools. The team has also created a first of its kind, hands-on, graduate-level class Answering Regional Challenges in Water Sustainability, that is team-taught by the principle investigators. Our long-term vision is to establish a nationally-recognized research, outreach, and education center that provides a platform for knowledge, collaboration, and training dedicated to applying science-based approaches to resolve local, regional, and global water sustainability issues.  Lastly, we hope that this research, education, and outreach effort can serve as a model for Universities in other post-industrial cities for tackling water challenges.