Customers who spot water or sewer problems in the District may now send photos and their location to DC Water instantly through their mobile web browsers. The mobile report-a-problem page at dcwater.com/problem joins the @dcwater Twitter feed and (202) 612-3400 Command Center hotline as another easy, instant way to reach the water utility.

"We count on the public to be our eyes and ears in the field, because we can't be everywhere at once," said DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins. "Now we've linked those eyes and ears directly to our Command Center in a way that makes it even easier to let us know what's happening."

The new web page will capture the problem location using a smart phone's geo-location technology when available, saving the customer the trouble of typing in an address and increasing accuracy. Users may also upload photos, saving DC Water valuable time by helping to diagnose the problem before dispatching a repair crew. An instant, automated response with tracking number completes the transaction.

Web-enabled phones and tablets are more popular than ever, and the District is a city of connected people, said DC Water Chief Information Officer Omer Siddiqui. "We've taken an interaction that used to take minutes and shaved it down to seconds, which helps our customers as they help us."

DC Water has also upgraded its desktop problem reporting web service to detect a location from an IP address and allow photo uploads.