United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2008-04-15 monographic deposited born digital 18 p. GA 1.13:GAO-08-687T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T P0b002ee18038d3e0 f:d08687t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T GAO-08-687T Cost control Decontamination Environmental monitoring Funds management Groundwater Groundwater contamination Health hazards Lead poisoning Municipal governments Potable water Program management Public utilities Regulatory agencies Strategic planning Water pipelines Water pollution Water pollution control Water quality Water quality management Water quality standards Water treatment Cost estimates Program costs Program implementation Standards (water quality) Testimony A81686

The discovery in 2004 of lead contamination in the District of Columbia's drinking water resulted in an administrative order between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the District's Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), requiring WASA to take a number of corrective actions. WASA also took additional, longer-term measures, most notably a roughly $400 million program to replace what may be 35,000 lead service lines in public space within its service area. As in WASA's case, water utilities nationwide are under increasing pressure to make significant investments to upgrade aging and deteriorating infrastructures, improve security, serve a growing population, and meet new regulatory requirements. In this context, GAO's testimony presents observations on (1) WASA's efforts to address lead contamination in light of its other pressing water infrastructure needs, and (2) the extent to which WASA's challenges are indicative of those facing water utilities nationwide. To address these issues, GAO relied primarily on its 2005 and 2006 reports on lead contamination in drinking water, as well as other recent GAO reports examining the nation's water infrastructure needs and strategies to address these needs. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T.pdf GAO-08-687T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-687T Testimony GAO-08-687T; Drinking Water: The District of Columbia and Communities Nationwide Face Serious Challenges in Their Efforts to Safeguard Water Supplies; Cost control Decontamination Environmental monitoring Funds management Groundwater Groundwater contamination Health hazards Lead poisoning Municipal governments Potable water Program management Public utilities Regulatory agencies Strategic planning Water pipelines Water pollution Water pollution control Water quality Water quality management Water quality standards Water treatment Cost estimates Program costs Program implementation Standards (water quality) Title 42 Section 300f-300j 42 U.S.C. 300f-300j