[Mintwood-place] [Adams Morgan] Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis

Mon Aug 9 22:47:25 EDT 2010

Frankly I'm wondering why nobody was fired at WASA over the lead levels in the water. And why isn't anybody talking about all these busted water mains? Or the water hydrants that are busted? 

Considering how much we pay WASA I'm wondering why they haven't been taken to task further for their gross incompetence and their senior management hasn't been replaced.

-Jason

On Aug 9, 2010, at 5:42 PM, Bryan Weaver wrote:

> 
> 
> I'm sorry but this thread goes back to May 27th of this year, and Matt's last email about WASA goes back to July 16!!!!
>  
> Why is this not a higher priority? I have two children under 5 years old ( the highest risk category for lead poisoning) and even low levels of lead exposure are associated with impairment of childhood cognitive function.
>  
> The issue of lead in our water goes back to a 2004 Washington Post report and the level lead in children's blood goes back to a Washington Post report earlier this year.... The Washington Post does not have the responsibility of oversight of the agency --- you do.
>  
> Matt's original point was that you stated that CDC misled the District about lead levels in our drinking water saying that it was the  "worst kind of vindication for our long held view"  but why did we wait until the CDC was testing blood lead levels in children, and not the committee seeking an independent anayisis to the lead levels in DC tap water? 
>  
> Bryan 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Graham <Jim at grahamwone.com>
> To: matthew.forman2 at verizon.net <matthew.forman2 at verizon.net>; george.hawkins at dcwater.com <george.hawkins at dcwater.com>; Jill.Wohrle at dcwater.com<Jill.Wohrle at dcwater.com>; AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com <AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com>; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org <mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org>;wwalker at walkerdunlop.com <wwalker at walkerdunlop.com>; shernandez at dccouncil.us <shernandez at dccouncil.us>; wreynolds at dccouncil.us <wreynolds at dccouncil.us>;bheimsath at dccouncil.us <bheimsath at dccouncil.us>
> Sent: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 5:02 pm
> Subject: Re: [Mintwood-place] Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis
> 
> This is a very good question. Since DC Water General Manager George Hawkins is already included here, let’s ask him to provide us some clarification on this analysis.
>  
> Bests, Councilmember Jim Graham
>  
>  
> I typically answer emails before 9 AM on weekdays. If you email me after that, it is likely that you will hear from me the next weekday. If there is a need to communicate prior to that, you may wish to call me. For most effective communication, please use my direct email address:jim at grahamwone.com
>  
> Jim Graham, Councilmember, Ward One, 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #105, Washington, DC 20004. 202-724-8181; 202-724-8109 (fax).
>  
> Chairman, Committee on Public Works and the Transportation (including alcohol regulation). Main Committee Number: 202-724-8195. 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #116, Washington, DC 20004.
>  
> Voting Member, Board of Directors, WMATA/Metro.
>  
> Website: www.grahamwone.com
>  
>  
> From: matt forman [mailto:matthew.forman2 at verizon.net] 
> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 8:44 AM
> To: Jim Graham; AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; george.hawkins at dcwasa.com; wwalker at walkerdunlop.com; shernandez at dccouncil.us
> Subject: Re: Re:Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis
>  
> Jim, could you obtain some clarification from DC Water (formerly WASA)?  Below, you mention flushing the pipes.  I'm not sure if you were referring to WASA's recommendation that people should "flush the cold water tap for two minutes when it has not been used for several hours," as WASA instructs in its "What's on TAP" insert I received in my recent water bill.  Apparently, WASA is still trying to convince people that the water that's been sitting in the pipes has more lead in it than the water coming in after 2 minutes of flushing.  However, from what I recall from both personal conversations with WASA staff in 2004 and from the data they sent me, the facts showed otherwise.  Specifically, approximately six thousand residents at that time had been given testing kits and told to take two samples or "draws" of water which were then sent to a laboratory for lead testing.  The first draw was to be taken after the water hadn't been used for a long time, and the second draw was taken after letting the water run for a while.  Assuming my analysis of the data is correct, In about 50% of the cases, the second draw had higher parts per billion of lead. 
>  
> My question is this: what data does WASA have to support its continued position that water coming in after 2 minutes of flushing has lower lead content than the standing water, despite prior data to the contrary?
>  
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jim Graham
> To: matthew.forman2 at verizon.net ; AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com ; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org ; george.hawkins at dcwasa.com ; wwalker at walkerdunlop.com ;shernandez at dccouncil.us
> Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010 8:33 AM
> Subject: RE: Re:Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis
>  
> Dear Mr. Forman,
>  
> I apologize for the unusual delay in responding to your follow-up email. We are swamped.
>  
> Since 2004, DCWASA continued to rely on the CDC’s faulty 2004 report to show that kids had not been exposed to dangerous levels of lead in our water. To my knowledge there were no subsequent reports issued by the CDC that either expanded on or contradicted the 2004 report. DCWASA’s failure was in relying exclusively on the CDC’s faulty report despite warnings from the lead advocates and common sense.
>  
> For your reference, I point you to Carol Leonnig’s May 21, 2010 article in the Washington Post which characterizes the failure accurately:
>  
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052005173.html
>  
> I am in this email including the General Manager of DCWASA, Mr. George Hawkins, in case he wants to weigh in.
>  
> Bests,
>  
> Jim Graham
>  
>  
> I typically answer emails before 9 AM on weekdays. If you email me after that, it is likely that you will hear from me the next weekday. If there is a need to communicate prior to that, you may wish to call me. For most effective communication, please use my direct email address: jim at grahamwone.com
>  
> Jim Graham, Councilmember, Ward One, 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #105, Washington, DC 20004. 202-724-8181; 202-724-8109 (fax).
>  
> Chairman, Committee on Public Works and Transportation (including alcohol regulation). Main Committee Number: 202-724-8195. 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #116, Washington, DC 20004.
>  
> Voting Member, Board of Directors, WMATA/Metro.
>  
> Website: www.grahamwone.com
>  
>  
> From: matt forman [mailto:matthew.forman2 at verizon.net] 
> Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 8:06 AM
> To: Jim Graham; AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; george.hawkins at dcwasa.com; wwalker at walkerdunlop.com
> Subject: Re: Re:Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis
>  
> Councilmember:   
>  
> Again, I would be grateful for clarification.  Perhaps I have missed something in the variuos reports, but from what I can gather, the allegation is that the CDC mislead the public in its 2004 report with respect to blood level data acquired in 2004 and prior years.  I could not find any allegation that the CDC issued additional misleading reports after 2004.  If not, then what do you mean that WASA kept assuring you that the CDC said the water was safe after 2004?  Did they keep mentioning the 2004 report for the last 6 years, or did they refer to later reports? 
>  
>  
>  
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jim Graham
> To: matthew.forman2 at verizon.net ; AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com ; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org ; george.hawkins at dcwasa.com ; wwalker at walkerdunlop.com
> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 5:42 PM
> Subject: RE: Re:Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis
>  
> Dear Mr. Forman,
>  
> Thank you for a copy of your email to the Adams Morgan list serve. As I noted in my posting, in hearing after hearing since 2004, we have repeatedly confronted DCWASA with the results of several scientific studies which show that there was indeed lead in our water.
>  
> Those hearings gave key opportunities to tireless advocates such as Marc Edwards from Virginia Tech. Through our oversight efforts, we were getting the message out that despite DCWASA’s assurances, we needed to test our water, flush our pipes, and reign in the partial lead pipe replacement program until we had a better grasp of the lead crisis.
>  
> Time and again I confronted DCWASA with these facts and we were assured that, according to their information from the Centers for Disease Control, lead from our pipes was not poisoning our children. We were told, therefore, that our water was safe to drink. I directed the establishment of a DC WASA/DDOE taskforce to conduct an independent study of the safety of the drinking water.
>  
> The most recent Washington Post article was the worst kind of vindication for our long held view that there was lead in the water our children were drinking. This is a failure at all levels, from the agency that we trust to make our water safe, and to inform us when it is not, to the Federal agencies we trusted to tell us when our children have been poisoned. Yet again, we are using the children of the District of Columbia as lead detectors, and this is simply unacceptable. This is why I have again called upon our water agency to take local control and accountability for this issue and ensure that our water is safe to drink.
>  
> That was the crux of my message the other day and the focus of our oversight over the years.
>  
> Bests,
>  
> Councilmember Jim Graham
>  
>  
> I typically answer emails before 9 AM on weekdays. If you email me after that, it is likely that you will hear from me the next weekday. If there is a need to communicate prior to that, you may wish to call me. For most effective communication, please use my direct email address: jim at grahamwone.com
>  
> Jim Graham, Councilmember, Ward One, 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #105, Washington, DC 20004. 202-724-8181; 202-724-8109 (fax).
>  
> Chairman, Committee on Public Works and the Transportation (including alcohol regulation). Main Committee Number: 202-724-8195. 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #116, Washington, DC 20004.
>  
> Voting Member, Board of Directors, WMATA/Metro.
>  
> Website: www.grahamwone.com
>  
> From: matt forman [mailto:matthew.forman2 at verizon.net] 
> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:24 AM
> To: AdamsMorgan at yahoogroups.com
> Cc: Jim Graham; mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org
> Subject: Re:Graham: DC WASA Water Safety Analysis
>  
> Jim - Can you clarify your previous message?  You state that CDC misled the District about lead levels in our drinking water.  But it appears from news reports, the CDC website, and the House Science Committee's report that the CDC's role was limited to testing blood lead levels in children, not lead levels in the water.  It seems to me that testing the lead levels in the water was WASA's responsibility, under your committee's oversight. 
>  
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