Tell WASA to Stop Hiding the Truth about Lead in DC's Drinking Water

Target:
Jerry N. Johnson, General Manager, DC Water and Sewer Authority
Sponsored by: 


Running the water is a good away to get lead-at-the-tap levels down. It is recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a short-term public health solution to known lead-in-water problems. Sadly, WASA has used it to hide the truth about how much lead we are getting at our taps. Since 2005, WASA has assured District residents that our water is safe to drink based on a monitoring method that requires homeowners to run their water for 10 minutes the night before sampling for lead analysis.

Do you usually run your water for 10 minutes before you go to bed? This practice -- called "pre-flushing" -- is known to hide lead problems at the tap that might occur under normal usage.

In September 2008, EPA determined that pre-flushing "goes against the intent" of the federal monitoring rules, but they did not explicitly ban the practice. After public criticism of WASA's pre-flushing, WASA did not abandon the flawed practice. They just lowered it to 2 minutes, and called it a "recommendation" rather than an "instruction." 

Data from Virginia Tech suggests that running the water for 2 minutes the night before sampling has practically the same effect on lead levels as running it for 10 minutes: it hides problems. Pre-flushing makes WASA's compliance with federal regulations meaningless. Even worse, it leads to false assurances about the safety of the District's drinking water.

Tell WASA to stop hiding the truth about lead at the tap by abandoning pre-flushing once and for all!


Running the water is a good away to get lead-at-the-tap levels down. It is recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a short-term public health solution to known lead-in-water problems. Sadly, WASA has used it to hide the truth about how much lead we are getting at our taps. Since 2005, WASA has assured District residents that our water is safe to drink based on a monitoring method that requires homeowners to run their water for 10 minutes the night before sampling for lead analysis.

Do you usually run your water for 10 minutes before you go to bed? This practice -- called "pre-flushing" -- is known to hide lead problems at the tap that might occur under normal usage.

In September 2008, EPA determined that pre-flushing "goes against the intent" of the federal monitoring rules, but they did not explicitly ban the practice. After public criticism of WASA's pre-flushing, WASA did not abandon the flawed practice. They just lowered it to 2 minutes, and called it a "recommendation" rather than an "instruction." 

Data from Virginia Tech suggests that running the water for 2 minutes the night before sampling has practically the same effect on lead levels as running it for 10 minutes: it hides problems. Pre-flushing makes WASA's compliance with federal regulations meaningless. Even worse, it leads to false assurances about the safety of the District's drinking water.

Tell WASA to stop hiding the truth about lead at the tap by abandoning pre-flushing once and for all!

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We signed the "Tell WASA to Stop Hiding the Truth about Lead in DC's Drinking Water" petition!
# 56:
11:13 pm PST, Jan 15, Richard Hollister, Arizona
# 55:
1:15 pm PDT, Jul 29, Carl Rosenstock, Wisconsin
# 54:
1:53 pm PDT, Jul 12, Name not displayed, Illinois
# 53:
12:50 am PDT, Jun 21, Name not displayed, Australia
# 52:
12:42 pm PDT, May 14, Chris Turner Esq., Washington D.C.
Mr. Johnson, grabbed and covered a citizen's camera with his hand at a pubic meeting. To me this sums up WASA's approach to the lead in the water issue. Rather than discussing it and fixing it they cover it up.
# 51:
10:49 pm PDT, Mar 30, Ari R. Kolman, Canada
WASA IS CORRUPT TO THE CORE AND HIDING THE FACTS OF DEATH TO THE PUBLIC. OR THEY SIMPLY ARE AS IGNORANT AS THE THE ONES' HAPPY TO DRINK THE WATER.. You're all sick for letting this happen, and encouraging the stupid "pre-flushing" system, YOU ALL SHOULD BE PRE-FLUSHED DOWN THE TOILET!!! STOP ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN!!! We Will All Distribute your idiotic to Big Media and Start Letting those “Useless Talking Heads on TV News” know what’s really worth reporting to the world… And they will Report it as we will also through our blogs.. … … I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. I’m sickened and disgusted. . I Beg all Intelligent and Responsible People to Please Stop Letting This Happen STILL.. How can you when your kids and your friend’s kids and your kids kids and your kids friends kids and so forth; Need you to stand up and take action daily for their own safety.. WE’VE GOT TO STOP THE MADNESS AND IT STARTS WITH GOVERNMENTS ALLOWING THESE TERRIBLE THINGS TO HAPPEN!! .. The Governments will continue to allow the destruction of family, of planet, of animals, and the poison of people.. Radio Active Foods, Water, Diseases, Products, and particles in the air to ingest when we breath. The perfect receipt for Corporate & Government Profit… WE DEMAND YOU TO STOP! Wake up Losers!! Don’t you ever read what’s happening out there? Don’t you ever go online to educate yourself? How dare the voice of the people be shut down!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! GGrrrrrrrr!!!!
# 50:
11:36 am PDT, Mar 25, Claudia Tapia Guerrero, Mexico
Justice!
# 49:
9:50 pm PDT, Mar 17, Julianne West, Missouri
Any practice that potently compromises health and the practice of running the water prior to testing would clearly impact the acuracy of test results. This protocol/recommendatiion should be changed immediately! The health and well-being of children is paramount in importance!
# 48:
10:11 pm PDT, Mar 12, Kimberly Tilley, Idaho
# 47:
7:57 pm PDT, Mar 10, Johnny GILBERT, New Jersey
For more impact, add a personal comment here
# 46:
12:39 pm PDT, Mar 9, Beth Corsetti, Illinois
# 45:
3:07 pm PDT, Mar 8, Cassandra Langevin, Florida
# 44:
8:44 am PST, Mar 6, Molly Rauch, Washington D.C.
# 43:
11:15 am PST, Mar 5, Jenafer Forester, California
# 42:
9:02 am PST, Mar 5, Name not displayed, California
Hiding a possible source of poison in drinking water is atrocious! To what end do we expose children to substances that inhibit their development and a chance for a good life?
# 41:
12:49 pm PST, Mar 4, Lindsay White, Vermont
# 40:
11:05 am PST, Mar 4, Margaret Heslin, Vermont
# 39:
10:41 am PST, Mar 4, Thomas Walker, Washington D.C.
# 38:
9:50 am PST, Mar 4, Carol Schraeder, Rhode Island
# 37:
9:38 am PST, Mar 4, Michelle Allen, Illinois
# 36:
9:32 am PST, Mar 4, William C. Hale, REHS, California
It seems the leadership at WASA has lost sight of the fact that the public's health is their main reason for existance. They need new management who will stop using deceitful pratices to make the numbers in their reports "look good."
# 35:
9:27 am PST, Mar 4, Liz Colon, Rhode Island
# 34:
8:54 am PST, Mar 4, Ruth Klotz-Chamberlin, Washington D.C.
# 33:
8:49 am PST, Mar 4, Howard Mielke, Louisiana
Covering up the lead problem in water by pre-flush actions is not acceptable. Citizens need protection from lead exposure not a cover-up.
# 32:
8:39 am PST, Mar 4, Marcheta Gillam, Ohio
Families have a fundamental right to know what is in their water and it is a key function of government to ensure access to this information.
# 31:
8:30 am PST, Mar 4, Beverly Baldinger, North Carolina
Give me a break! Of course this will reduce the amount of lead in the water. Should be a first draw in the morning with no pre-flushing!
# 29:
8:26 am PST, Mar 4, Dyshawn Vickers, Florida
# 30:
8:24 am PST, Mar 4, Dyshawn Vickers, Florida
# 28:
8:19 am PST, Mar 4, AUDREY GAINES, Connecticut
REGARDING HEALTH AND WELLNESS, THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE YET TO FIND A WAY TO ELIMINATE THE ADVERSITIES TO SOCIETAL WELLNESS. CANCER IS ONE SUCH ADVERSITY TO WELLNESS. THEREFORE, WHEN WE KNOW WHAT TO DO THERE SHOULD NEVER BE A HESITATION TO THE APPLICATION OF ACTIONS THAT PROMOTE THE ELIMINATION OF ADVERSITIES TO HEALTH AND WELLENSS. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT CONCERNS THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN. THEY ARE THE FUTURE. YES WE CAN KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE FROM EXPOSURE TO TOXIC LEVELS OF LEAD IN THE WATER. DOING SO CAN ASSURE THEIR ABILITY TO GROW INTO A SELF SUFFICIENT ADULT. NOT TAKING ACTION WILL ASSURE THEY WILL NOT BE PRODUCTIVE AND A FINANCIAL BURDEN TO US ALL IN THE FUTURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS BEST FOR THIS COUNTRY?
# 27:
8:14 am PST, Mar 4, Rick Watson, Idaho
This industry should be responsible before profitable. Supplying healthy water is meant to be a public service.
# 26:
7:53 am PST, Mar 4, Peter Hubicki, North Carolina
You ought to follow industry standards rather than a procedure designed to minimize the lead levels in DC water
# 25:
7:26 am PST, Mar 3, Chris VanArsdale, Washington D.C.
# 24:
4:22 pm PST, Mar 2, Kat Song, Washington D.C.
# 23:
2:44 pm PST, Mar 2, Ralph Scott, Washington D.C.
Hey, WASA: Pre-flusing just makes you look that much more desperate and devious. If you're so sure that your water complies with federal lead standards, why not take the samples in conformance with the intent of the federal law like most other water utilities do?
# 22:
1:14 pm PST, Feb 27, Mary C. Williams, Washington D.C.
Please be honest with the public. It's time for WASA to put the health of the people before its own profits.
# 21:
8:14 am PST, Feb 26, Allian Griffin, Virginia
# 20:
7:09 am PST, Feb 25, Jennifer Gardner, Florida
# 19:
6:05 pm PST, Feb 24, Kristina Salgado, Arkansas
# 18:
3:30 pm PST, Feb 24, Steve Dale, Australia
For more impact, add a personal comment here
# 17:
2:14 pm PST, Feb 24, Katherine Curran, Arizona
I can not believe that this happening. Whatsa wrong with WASA!
# 16:
12:15 pm PST, Feb 24, Alan Cohen, Washington D.C.
WASA, come clean. Stop hiding the truth from parents, and others about lead in DC's water.
# 15:
5:45 am PST, Feb 24, Lynda Harding, United Kingdom
# 14:
5:39 am PST, Feb 24, Name not displayed, New York
# 13:
5:26 am PST, Feb 24, Charles Mclachlan, United Kingdom
# 12:
4:46 am PST, Feb 24, Maria Fernanda R Alvarez, Argentina
For more impact, add a personal comment here
# 10:
2:15 am PST, Feb 24, Mieke Bernaards, Belgium
# 9:
1:49 am PST, Feb 24, Toni Sokoloski, Massachusetts
# 8:
9:21 pm PST, Feb 23, Paul Schwartz, Washington D.C.
Mr. Johnson, In my opinion it is time for you to leave your post as General Manager to DC WASA. You have done very little to earn the trust of the people you are tasked to serve. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Paul Schwartz 4th Ward Aspen & 4th NW (202) 279-0438
# 7:
8:17 pm PST, Feb 23, Pam Boland, Georgia
# 5:
7:23 pm PST, Feb 23, Carla rosa Cardoso, Brazil
# 4:
7:15 pm PST, Feb 23, Yanna Lambrinidou, Washington D.C.
parent, Ward 4
# 3:
6:13 pm PST, Feb 23, Chadwick Wright, Ohio
# 2:
4:21 pm PST, Feb 23, Larry Mix, Florida
# 1:
2:59 pm PST, Feb 23, Rachel Faber, New Jersey
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