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Related Links

This page contains links to additional information on lead, EPA resources, and D.C.-area organizations related to the issue of drinking water in the District of Columbia.

Additional Consumer Information

To find out if you have a lead service line:
Contact DC Water's Customer Hotline at (202) 354-3600 or waterquality@DCWater.com

If you have questions about blood lead testing:
Contact DC DOH at (202) 671-5000

To find out about NSF-certified plumbing and water treatment products:
Visit NSF’s website at www.nsf.org

To find a certified lab for water testing:
Visit EPA’s listing of state drinking water laboratory certification agencies at
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/labcert/statecertification.cfm

Access the listing of certified drinking water laboratories in Maryland at
http://www.mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/water_supply/pages/programs/waterprograms/water_supply/wsp-labcert.aspx

Access the listing of certified drinking water laboratories in Virginia at
http://www.dgs.state.va.us/DivisionofConsolidatedLaboratoryServices/Services/LaboratoryCertification/tabid/508/Default.aspx
                
What you should know about water treatment devices:
EPA does not certify or endorse specific home drinking water treatment devices.  EPA recommends that if you choose to use such a device, look for one certified by an independent testing organization, such as NSF International or Underwriters Laboratories.

Point-of-use devices, such as faucet-mounted filters or filtration pitchers, must be installed, operated, and maintained according to manufacturers' instructions.  Improperly maintained treatment devices can cause poor water quality.  Make sure there are no plumbing components that could possibly leach lead after water is filtered through a point-of-use treatment device.

The device should be certified to remove the contaminant that you are concerned about.  If you are concerned about lead, be certain that the filtration device is certified to remove lead.

● EPA’s Water Health Series:
Filtration Facts [816-K-05-002, September 2005, PDF, 7 pages, 1.4M, about PDF]

What you should know about bottled water:

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.

Bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

When purchasing bottled water, look for products certified by NSF International or the International Bottled Water Association.

● EPA’s Water Health Series:
Bottled Water Basics [816-K-05-003, September 2005, PDF, 7 pages, 1.4M, about PDF]

 

Links to information on water treatment devices and bottled water:
U.S. FDA Bottled Water Information
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm046894.htm

International Bottled Water Association
http://www.bottledwater.org/

NSF International:
www.nsf.org

Underwriters Laboratories:
http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/

EPA Region 3 Citizen Hotline/Help Desk:
(215) 814-5000

 

DC Drinking Water Compliance Information

You can obtain more information on water suppliers in the District of Columbia through EPA's Safe Drinking Water Query Form for the District of Columbia.

Annual Compliance Reports for the District of Columbia

Hotlines

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline:
(800) 426-4791

DC Water Customer Service Hotline:
(202) 354-3600
email waterquality@DCWater.com

District of Columbia Department of Health (DC DOH) Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer Blood Lead Screening Hotline
(202) 671-0733

EPA Information on Lead

Additional Web Resources

District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

Washington Aqueduct Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

D.C. Department of Health Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

District Department of the Environment

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

Potomac River Drinking Water Source Protection Partnership Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

Certified Drinking Water Laboratories

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Exit EPA Click for Disclaimer

EPA's Water Health Series

Bottled Water Basics [816-K-05-003, September 2005, PDF, 7 pages, 1.4M, about PDF]

Filtration Facts [816-K-05-002, September 2005, PDF, 7 pages, 1.4M, about PDF]

Additional copies of these publications may also be ordered from EPA’s National Service Center for Environmental Publications. 

Archive

The archive section provides links to older information, formerly located in other areas of this site.

Fact sheet on in-home water purification filters (PDF) [2 pp, 227K, About PDF]

Frequently Asked Questions about Drinking Water and Lead

Lead in Water

Blood lead level testing fact sheet (PDF) (July 2005 - revised October 2006) [3pp, 88K, about pdf]
Note:  The information presented in the fact sheet represents data from the DC Department of Health blood lead testing program as it was summarized at the original time of publication (July 2005).  EPA will work with members of the Technical Expert Working Group, including the DC Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide additional information as it becomes available.  Minor revisions were made to the fact sheet in October 2006; additional revisions will be made, as appropriate, as new information becomes available. Additional information on blood lead testing in the District is available from CDC's website.
Update: A recent (2009) study of blood lead levels in the District has been published in Environmental Science & Technology (vol. 43, no. 5, p. 1618) - Elevated Blood Lead in Young Children Due to Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water: Washington, DC, 2001-2004 (subscription may be required).
Update: On May 20, 2010, the House Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, held a hearing which addressed concerns about the 2004 CDC report summarized in this fact sheet.  The Subcommittee website provides links to the Subcommittee’s report and witness testimony. CDC has also released a reanalysis of the 2004 report, dated May 21, 2010.
Additional information: Several organizations and individuals as well as the author of the 2009 Environmental Science & Technology paper cited above have requested that CDC retract the 2004 MMWR.

Review of the Interim Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment for Washington D.C. (March 2007)
Cover page, Table of Contents, and Chapter 1 (Introduction and Background)- PDF [12pp, 112k, about pdf]
Chapter 2 (Summary of Research Relevant to the D.C. Lead Issue) - PDF [42pp, 780k, about pdf]
Note (March 2010): The Wujek (2004) paper discussed in section 2.5.3 does not mention that the post-partial replacement samples were collected during a temporary free chlorine treatment period, a treatment regime associated with lower lead levels.
Chapter 3 (Review of Relevant Water Quality Data) - PDF [55pp, 695k, about pdf]
Chapters 4 and 5 (Conclusions and Recommendations; References) - PDF [8pp, 49k, about pdf]
Appendices - PDF [96pp, 2.6M, about pdf]

Final Report: Effects of External Currents and Dissimilar Metal Contact on Corrosion from Lead Service Lines (PDF) [26pp, 899K, about pdf] (November 2006)
Note: EPA Region 3 learned in March 2008 that a statement made on page 15 of this report regarding DCWASA's use of dielectric couplers during partial lead service line replacement (PLSLR) is incorrect. DCWASA does not use dielectric couplers when performing a PLSLR.

Investigation of Potential Environmental Impacts due to the use of Phosphate-based Corrosion Inhibitors in the District of Columbia (July 2004) [PDF, 60pp, 486k, about pdf]

Final Report: Evaluation of Zinc Inhibition on Nitrification and BNR (PDF) [59pp, 1.8MB, about pdf] (September 2005)

Washington Aqueduct/CH2M Hill Pipe Loop Test Plan(PDF) (August 2004) [9pp, 102k, about pdf]

 

 

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