DC Water and Sewer Authority: Cut the Crap!
by Parisa Norouzi

November 2001
Volume 38, Number 9

Something stinks in D.C. - and it's not just the raw sewage that dumps into our rivers and creeks, onto city streets and into people's basements. The $1.05 billion Combined Sewer System Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) that the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) has crafted also stinks. It advocates the doubling of residential rates while still allowing raw sewage to dump into our waters; it depends entirely on an "end of the pipe" technical solution; and it does not seek to address problems associated with the District's aging water and sewer infrastructure, or the stormwater problems caused by impervious surfaces. Additionally, the WASA plan advocates weakening water quality standards rather than meeting them in order to facilitate the continued dumping of human feces into the Anacostia River, the Potomac River and Rock Creek.

One-third of the District, predominantly the central part of the city, sits above a combined sewer system. The combined system funnels polluted storm water runoff from streets and roofs and raw sewage from homes and offices into one underground pipe for transport to the Blue Plains waste treatment facility. Whenever it rains as little as 2/10", the rainwater that cascades off streets, parking lots and other impervious surfaces overwhelm the Combined Sewer System. This polluted runoff - along with garbage, sediments and raw sewage - is dumped directly into our waters through 60 outfall pipes. In all, over 3 billion gallons of polluted storm water and raw sewage dump into these waters each year, two-thirds going into the Anacostia River alone.

Currently D.C. is in violation of the Clean Water Act, which forbids the dumping of garbage and raw sewage into Class A waters. The Anacostia River, Potomac River and Rock Creek are all legally designated Class A for primary contact recreation like swimming or wading, though they are far too polluted for this type of use. District residents have been advised against swimming in our waters for over 20 years now. Levels of fecal coliform, bacteria that can cause dysentery, cholera, meningitis, hepatitis and other illnesses, have been measured at 1,000 times the standard according to District law. The District is also in violation of its own standard for dissolved oxygen, which has led to periodic fish kills in area waters.

The centerpiece of WASA's plan to "fix" the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) problem in D.C. is the construction of 3 underground storage tunnels to capture and hold overflows until the rain subsides and the waste can be pumped back into the sewer system, and travel to Blue Plains. Much smaller elements of the plan include rehabilitation of existing pumping stations and a purely symbolic Low Impact Development pilot project to be carried out on WASA's properties along the Anacostia River.

Several local and national environmental groups and civic organizations have been following the development of WASA's plan, including participating in a series of "stakeholders" meetings. The coalition has deemed the WASA plan unacceptable on a number of counts.

WASA's plan will still allow over 250 million gallons of polluted storm water and raw sewage to dump into our rivers and creeks each year, preventing the achievement of fishable, swimmable waters which District residents are entitled to according to law. We advocate a plan that would result in zero overflows in the average storm year.

In order to facilitate the continued dumping of raw sewage, WASA recommends weakening water quality standards to allow some overflows after a "rain event." We adamantly oppose any weakening of water quality standards, especially as a component of the Long Term Control Plan, which should be striving to meet water quality standards and protect human health and the environment.

WASA has set a 20-year timeline for completion of the project, which is twice as long as other cities have taken. We advocate an accelerated schedule, given that District residents have been denied legally designated uses of our waters for far too long already.

Of the $1.05 billion dollar plan, only $3 million are dedicated to green building techniques, known as low impact development-retrofit, which are designed to catch, filter and cleanse storm water utilizing natural processes. We advocate a plan that encompasses a holistic watershed approach, emphasizing the use of pollution prevention techniques that stem the flow of stormwater, improve air quality and beautify the District. For instance, WASA's plan underestimates the benefits of green roofs, rain gardens and rain barrels, while overestimating the costs of low impact development.

WASA's plan has not taken into account the whole of the aged sewer system, and the possibility that these aging pipes will break and spill, possibly contaminating the District's drinking water supply. Additionally, planning did not seek to alleviate flooding where possible. We advocate a plan that seeks to address the needs of District residents as part of the Combined Sewer System overhaul.

The plan does not stress the responsibility of the Federal government to provide financial support for this project, and disingenuously makes District residents chose between affordable sewer rates and a healthy, clean environment. The conditions that exist in the District are against the law. There are numerous compelling reasons why the Federal government should contribute its fair share to this project, including the fact that many other cities have received Federal assistance for CSO projects. The Federal government built and managed D.C.'s system for the first 100 years, and Federal facilities actually sit on the combined sewer system, accounting for 18% of the outflow.

WASA held a public hearing on its Long Term Control Plan on October 22nd. Written public comments will be accepted through November 21st. WASA expects to submit its Long Term Control Plan to EPA in January.

The DC Environmental Network's Clean Water Campaign coalition continues its efforts to prevent the proposed roll back of water quality standards, to improve the Long Term Control Plan, and to involve a greater number of District residents. If you are interested in more information or would like to join the DC Environmental Network's weekly email update list, please contact dcen@foe.org, 202-783-7400 x 107.

To submit comment on the LTCP, contact Dr. Mohsin Siddique at WASA, 5000 Overlook Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20032, mohsin_siddique@dcwasa.com, (202) 787-2634. You can read the plan online at www.dcwasa.com.