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WASA Backs Off Lead Pipe Program
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"We agree that orthophosphate has helped," said Yanna Lambrinidou, a resident of the city's Chevy Chase neighborhood and a member of Parents for Nontoxic Alternatives. "We would not contest that. We agree that lead in the water probably today is less serious than it was 2004. But we don't have data that orthophosphate has solved the problem completely."
At the same time, Lambrinidou voiced opposition to even reduced numbers of partial replacements, which the authority's resolution allows. She said it was "inexcusable" that WASA intended to do them.
Paul Schwartz, national policy coordinator of Clean Water Action, said: "This is a travesty. They ought to do full pipe replacement or nothing at all. That's the most protective of public health."
McLaughlin said that when WASA began a scheduled review of the pipe replacement program late last year, lead levels were well below hazardous and had been for three years. He said authority officials realized that partial replacement did not result in a significant drop in lead levels, "inasmuch as you still have a piece of the lead pipe on the property."
"It drops maybe one or two parts per billion," he said. "How significant is that? So it's not particularly effective in dropping lead levels at the customer's tap."
Public and neighborhood meetings were held to discuss the issue this year, and experts were called in, the authority said.
"Since orthophosphate is effective, has been shown to be effective, since the majority of our customers . . . still have a portion of lead line on their property . . . the board's reevaluating the program as a whole," McLaughlin said.
Graham said the city's Department of the Environment is preparing to conduct a broad independent study of the overall quality of the city's water to satisfy the concerns of all parties.
