Results tagged “water”

DC WASA and the D.C. Fire & EMS Department provided Mayor Fenty's office with a list of potential trouble spots for water-related firefighting issues in the wake of the big fire at Peggy Cooper Cafritz's house, and WUSA9 has a copy. Among the reasons given why an area might be listed are "small water mains, hydrant configuration, topography, access, and the possibility of private hydrants not regulated by WASA." Fire Department spokesperson Pete Piringer is also quoted urging residents not to panic if your neighborhood or building is on the list. "He says the fire department has put plans in place to make sure there is an adequate water supply to fight fires." Recent evidence notwithstanding, apparently. Full list after the jump.

It's that time of year again, D.C.! The magical season of chlorine-scented and flavored tap water is back. The Washington Aqueduct announced yesterday that it will temporarily resume the use of chlorine next week to treat our drinking water, and warned that the special odor and taste we've all come to know and love every spring will be back for at least a month. The water is still safe to drink, the Aqueduct was sure to point out. In addition to the District, Arlington County, Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County will also experience the funky tap water of April (exact dates announced by the Aqueduct: April 6-May 4). Yum. Drink up!

“Sparkling, still, or D.C.’s finest?” It’s the no longer particularly funny question that serves as a standard start to many a dinner out. I always go for the latter; I’m not paying for San Pellegrino in this or any economy. But next week, even the tap water is going to cost you. That's if you care to make a small donation for it.

It's a hearty top o' the morning for the city from the White House today. The AP reports that indeed, First Lady Michelle Obama has ordered the fountains on the north and south lawns of the White House dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Maya Lin readily admits that her career is made up of three different areas: architecture, memorial and art. The memorial line, which she calls it, started here in Washington, D.C. over 20 years ago, when she won a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

You knew something like this was only a matter of time. The Post reports that a D.C. man who is the father of developmentally disabled twin boys has filed a class action lawsuit against D.C. WASA.

District residents are understandably disturbed by yesterday's lead revelations in the Washington Post, and the D.C. Council has gone ahead and scheduled a hearing to address environmental and health concerns. The Committee on Government Operations and the Environment hearing is set for February 10 at 11 a.m. at the John A. Wilson Building, Room 412. Committee chair Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) will hold the hearing jointly with Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who oversees WASA.

So the big, big, big story on the front page of this morning's Washington Post was by Carol Leonnig, who obtained a copy of a forthcoming study that shows that hundreds of District children had dangerously high levels of lead in their blood during the WASA lead crisis earlier this decade.

The study, based on a detailed analysis of thousands of children’s blood tests from 2000 to 2003, contradicts the public assurances issued by federal and D.C. health officials starting in 2004. At the time, although officials acknowledged that the amount of lead in city water were at record-breaking levels, they said repeatedly that they found no measurable impact on the general public’s health.

This is seriously scary shit, especially for parents and pregnant women living in older homes in the neighborhoods identified as being the most affected: Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights, the southeastern portion of Capitol Hill, a large swath of Ward 4 along Georgia Avenue, and Northeast Washington's Langdon Park.

You know, I get a lot of junk mail. But I'm certainly glad that between the Dell catalogs, the Comcast advertisements, and the Valpak coupons, I managed to open up this little nugget of information from WASA: back in December, the water coming from the McMillan water treatment plant had a 14-minute spike in turbidity, which is an indicator that the water supply may contain "disease-causing organisms." Local development blog DCMud has a more detailed explanation of what exactly happened (digging at a large development site near the treatment facility seems to be to blame), and also a scan of the letter, for those who might have missed it. Your fun thought of the day? An addendum attached to the letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers states that the spike may have released organisms that could cause "nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches." Yup, that's disgusting. And to think, all this time you were just worried about peanut butter.

Despite what Alert DC told us all this morning, WASA says the power outage in Columbia Heights was not caused by a water main break. We weren't the only ones who reported a main break at 13th and Florida this morning, but it also wouldn't be the first time Alert DC oversimplified something that was more nuanced.

The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority sent around word this morning that too many people, especially in Southeast, have been opening up fire hydrants during the heat wave over the past few days, and water pressure in some areas is now very low as a result. The agency says they'd really, really like it if you would stop opening up those hydrants and playing in the resulting spraying water.

The public is reminded that unauthorized use of hydrants is illegal. Such activity will cause low water pressure and service problems for customers and can damage the underground water infrastructure. Loss of adequate water pressure can have a negative impact on fire fighting when firefighters are unable to get enough water to suppress fires. Opening hydrants also poses a safety issue for young children who could easily be hurt from the high water pressure.

Continue reading "WASA Begs Residents to Stop Opening Hydrants"

Looking for a way to beat the heat this evening or tomorrow? The District Department of Parks and Recreation has opened up ten outdoor swimming pools and four spray parks from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. both today and Tuesday.

A water main break is disrupting traffic on 16th Street NW between Florida Ave. and Euclid Street. D.C. Water and Sewer Authority workers are on the scene working on the break.

Several neighborhood blogs are posting information about the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority's upcoming public meetings to discuss a proposed 8.5 percent rate increase to city water and sewer rates.

Earlier today the AlertDC system sent out an advisory that five water mains had broken overnight in Southeast DC. The DC Water and Sewer Authority followed up with a press release a couple of hours later with the exact locations of the breaks, details on service disruptions, and repair schedule. The utility said that approximately 50 households were affected, though more may be impacted as work continues through the evening.

won't "Keep On Rollin'" into May.

To refresh your memory, the Washington Post reported last weekend on a set of test results from 2006 that show major lead level spikes in the tap water of hundreds of homes just after lead pipes near them were replaced. The test results were obtained through a freedom of information act request by Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, and were not made public by WASA before then.

Drinking water distributed in the District of Columbia meets all federal EPA regulations and standards for public health safety.

Except, of course, for the tap water from 658 homes tested in 2006, within a week after the agency partially replaced their lead service lines. Edwards' analysis showed those homes had lead levels 17 times the amount the federal government considers unsafe in drinking water.

The implication that WASA has been withholding information about “dangerously high” lead levels is unfair and unfounded for several reasons – (1) temporary spikes in lead levels are not a system-wide problem in District drinking water; (2) the potential for a spike affects only about two percent (2%) of customers who are having a partial lead service line replacement (replacing the lead pipe on the public side of the property line with copper pipe), (3) this temporary (short-term) elevation in lead levels can occur in some cases when lead shavings come loose in the pipes after construction, and (4) the lead spike is short-term and can be reduced by flushing the lines, which customers are instructed on before and after partial lead service line replacement.

The statement also detailed other instructions and advisements that are sent to property owners who are slated for partial lead pipe replacement, which do indicate that affected homeowners are given adequate information on the issue.

On Saturday the Post reported on a set of D.C. Water and Sewer Authority test results from 2006 that show major lead level spikes in the tap water of hundreds of homes just after lead pipes near them were replaced. The test results were obtained through a freedom of information act request by Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards.