District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

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The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, or WASA was created in 1996, when the District of Columbia Government and the U.S. federal government established it as a semiautonomous regional entity. Prior to its creation, it was operated by the DC Government and the Water and Sewer Utility Administration.

Contents

[edit] Operations

A General Manager responsible for all daily operations reports to the Board of Directors of WASA.

WASA purchases its potable water from the Washington Aqueduct which is run by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Aqueduct treats the water and WASA's pipes make it available in DC.

WASA operates the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant, which serves Washington, D.C. and portions of the adjoining communities of Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland; and Fairfax County and Loudoun County, Virginia. The plant discharges to the Potomac River north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

[edit] Controversy

In 2002, WASA became aware of a problem with lead in the District's drinking water, based on a sampling of homes from July 2001 to June 2002. They failed to inform the public according to Federal guidelines.

In fact, problems began in 2001, when water samples in 53 homes showed levels of lead that exceeded the national standard of 15 parts per billion. Based on these findings, WASA sped up existing plans and replaced lead service pipes in key areas of the municipal water system. But the problem persisted. National water regulations then required WASA to conduct a larger water quality survey, which found a serious, widespread problem throughout the city in June 2003. Lead levels in over 4000 homes exceeded acceptable levels.[1]

By the fall of 2003, it had tested more than 6,000 homes in the District, finding that two-thirds tested had more than 15 ppb of lead in their water.[2]

Months later, when the issue became front page news, the situation changed rapidly. Residents inundated WASA's water hotline with calls and overwhelmed water testing laboratories with requests for their tap water to be tested for lead contamination. District elected officials immediately called for an emergency public meeting, and established an inter-agency task force to investigate and manage the problem.[3]

Months later, the source of the problem was found.

They concluded that a new water treatment process introduced in 2001 had caused lead to leach from municipal water pipes into the water supply.[4]

[edit] Governance and funding

An eleven-member Board of Directors governs WASA. The District is represented by six Board Members. Prince George's County, Maryland, has two Board Members. Also, Montgomery County, Maryland, has two Board Members. Fairfax County in Virginia has a single Board Member.

The Authority develops its own budget which is then included in the District budget. Together these two budgets are presented to Congress for approval.

WASA's finances are completely separated from the District's finances, in accordance with an agreement between the city and WASA, signed in 1996. In 2005 the city did not review the agreement that removed WASA's finances from the oversight of the District's Chief Financial Officer. The matter is now disputed.[5]

Usage fees (water and sewer bills), revenue bonds and Environmental Protection Agency grants pay for all operations, capital improvements and debt financing.

[edit] Statistics

  • Employees: 1,200 (FY 2003)
  • Service area: 725 square miles
  • Locations served: 130,000
  • Drinking water served: 135 million gallons a day
  • Customers: 2,000,000
  • Drinking water distribution
  • Sewers
    • Sanitary and combined sewers: 1,800 miles
    • Flow-metering stations: 22
    • Off-site wastewater pumping stations: 9
    • Stormwater pumping stations: 16
  • Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant
    • Largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the world
    • 150 acres
    • Capacity: 370 million gallons per day
    • Peak capacity: 1.076 billion gallons per day.
  • Revenue sources
    • Federal, municipal and county governments: 38%
    • Commercial entities: 40%
    • DC residential customers: 17%

[edit] References

  1. ^ Joseph Foti,"Lead in Our Water - A Washington, DC Mystery","World Resources Institute",March 22, 2008
  2. ^ Elissa Silverman, "Troubled Water", "Washington City Paper", March 5, 2004
  3. ^ Joseph Foti,"Lead in Our Water - A Washington, DC Mystery","World Resources Institute",March 22, 2008
  4. ^ Joseph Foti,"Lead in Our Water - A Washington, DC Mystery","World Resources Institute",March 22, 2008
  5. ^ Mike DeBonis, "Water Not Under the Bridge", Washington City Paper, February 29, 2008

[edit] External links