DC Water Taste Test Challenge Series: Tap Water versus Bottled Water

August 21, 2012

Can you tell a difference between tap water and bottled water? Test your drinking water preferences and learn how you can save money and the environment by choosing clean, affordable DC tap water.

DC Water is promoting tap water, protecting the environment and saving people money. Hundreds of water samples are tested each week throughout the District to ensure the delivery of high quality tap water. Bottled water involves significant economic and environmental costs. DC tap water is only a penny per gallon and bottled water costs 100 times more.

Join DC Water during a series of blind taste tests that will challenge people’s knowledge about tap water. Taste test challenges are scheduled in each Ward of the District.

Who:
DC Water Team Blue

When:
Every Wednesday between August 22 – October 10, 2012
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (weather permitting)

Where:
Ward 1 – October 10, 2012
Columbia Heights Metro
3030 14th Street, NW

Ward 2 – August 22, 2012
Sweetgreen
2221 I Street, NW

Ward 3 – August 29, 2012
Whole Foods (Tenley Circle)
4530 40th Street, NW

Ward 4 – September 5, 2012
Petworth Metro
3700 Georgia Avenue, NW

Ward 5 – September 12, 2012
Home Depot
901 Rhode Island Avenue, NE

Ward 6 – September 19, 2012
Southwest Waterfront
1100 4th Street, SW

Ward 7 – September 26, 2012
Penn-Branch Shopping Center
3220 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

Ward 8 – October 3, 2012
Ward 8 Constituent Building
2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE

Latest News

Graphic with details for the public hearing on June 23 at 6:30 p.m.

As DC Water’s Board of Directors considers proposed rate increases for the upcoming 2027 and 2028 fiscal years, we’re asking customers to provide feedback during a public hearing on Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m.

The proposed rate changes would support critical investments in safe, reliable drinking water, replacement of aging water and sewer lines, cleaner local waterways, and continued lead service line replacement across the District.

Photo of LFDC work on a street in the Trinidad NE Neighborhood

Public Encouraged to Provide Comment through June 23

DC residents who want to replace their lead service lines may soon have more options to do it sooner—without having to wait for construction to reach their block.  While the Lead Free DC Program replaces lead service lines at no cost, DC Water has proposed two updates to its program that would make it easier and faster for some residents to get their lead pipes replaced, especially those at higher risk of lead exposure. These proposed changes have been published in the DC Register and are now open for public review. 

Placeholder DC Water Image

DC Water will host a virtual community meeting on Thursday, June 11, 2026, to inform residents and other stakeholders about the emergency rehabilitation of a section of the Potomac Interceptor at Muddy Branch in Potomac, Maryland.

Upcoming Meeting

Board of Directors Meeting

April 24, 2023

Monday 9:00 AM

Announcement

Photo of temporarily relocated section of Piney Branch Parkway
Piney Branch Parkway Section to Reopen Monday, Restoring a Key Route for DC Commuters

Following a 27-day closure, DC Water will reopen a section of Piney Branch Parkway between Arkansas Avenue and Beach Drive NW early Monday morning, restoring an important cross-town connection for thousands of District commuters. During the closure, a section of the road was temporarily relocated for construction of DC Water’s Piney Branch Tunnel Project.

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Upcoming Meeting
Date
July 2, 2026
Thursday, 9:30 AM

Upcoming Events

Customer Service Center Announcement

Payment Plan Incentive: provides a credit back of 50% of the last 3 payments made. Eligible participants are residential customers who have had an outstanding balance for 60 days or greater and with an outstanding balance of $500 or more.