Mayor Anthony A. Williams and DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) Board Chairman Glenn S. Gerstell today announced that The Brita Products Company is donating 10,000 water filtration pitchers for distribution to District families with children under age six and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding who live in areas with lead service lines.

"We are delighted that Brita is making this generous donation to our city," said Mayor Williams. "Brita executives recognized a situation in which they could provide assistance to District residents and immediately offered their pitchers. This is an example of true public-private partnership, and we appreciate Brita's generosity while we work to resolve the elevated water lead levels."

Brita water filtration pitchers are certified by NSF International, the nation's leading independent test lab for the certification of water filtration products, to remove 98 percent of lead in tap water. Each filter has a usage life of two to three months and can provide up to 40 gallons of filtered water. The donated pitchers have a retail value of $26.99 each.

The first shipment of 3,000 Brita pitchers will contain approximately 200 pitchers earmarked for delivery to licensed home day care centers located in areas with lead service lines. The remaining filters and subsequent shipment of 7,000 systems will be distributed to homes in the affected areas with children under age six and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

"We are very happy to be in a position to help the people in DC who are most in need get filtered drinking water for themselves and their families. We hope that our donation will give these residents peace of mind when they drink their tap water," said Scott Weiss, president, The Brita Products Company.

Last month, the D.C. Department of Health recommended that children under age six and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding in the 23,000 homes with lead service lines not drink unfiltered water.

To determine if a lead service line serves your home contact the WASA Lead Services hotline at (202) 787-2732 or WQP2003@dcwasa.com. If eligible, a test kit will be forwarded within two to three days. Once the test is complete, free pick-up can be scheduled by calling the hotline or dropping the kit off at one of six WASA locations. Results are available within 30 days.

The hotline is available 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.