The Washington Aqueduct continues to monitor the application of orthophosphate to the District’s drinking water supply that began on June 1, 2004 to the 4th High Pressure Zone in northwest DC.

There have been no adverse problems and no reported complaints from residents in the area. As a result, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given approval to begin the second phase. Orthophosphate will be added citywide to the water system beginning August 23, 2004.

Orthophosphate works as a corrosion inhibitor that forms a protective coating inside of lead service line pipes and fixtures to prevent lead from leaching into the drinking water.

The EPA is expected to make a formal announcement of the second phase application of orthophosphate to the entire water system on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at a press conference.

The EPA will also host two public meetings on the system-wide orthophosphate treatment. There will be an open house from 6:00-7:30 p.m. followed by a public meeting will be from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The meetings will be: Thursday, August 19 at the Congress Heights United Methodist Church, 421 Alabama Ave, SE and Tuesday, August 24, Martin Luther King Library, 901 G Street, NW in Meeting Room A-5.

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) is a multi-jurisdictional regional utility that provides drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment to more than 500,000 residential, commercial and governmental customers in the District of Columbia, and also collects and treats wastewater for 1.6 million customers in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia.