D.C. Seeks Greater Water Infrastructure Resilience

Utilities in the Washington, DC, area are looking for ways to make their water supplies more resilient.

The problem is that there is no backup water supply for the Potomac River in Washington.

“A train crash. A power plant discharge. An underwater pipeline rupture. An act of terrorism. Any of these could quickly cripple the drinking water supply of the nation’s capital,” WTOP recently reported. “D.C. would have only one or two days of clean drinking water available if its sole source, the Potomac River, were rendered unusable by an accident or intentional act.”

Tom Jacobus, general manager of the Washington Aqueduct, explained: “The current situation is there is no interconnection among the production plants — the six large water treatment plants in this area.”

But utilities are currently discussing ways to solve this problem.

“Jacobus said the water utilities are looking into the possibility of a shared reservoir that could provide water if the Potomac were unavailable as a water source for several days. Studies have identified a possible solution that local water officials believe could provide a level of resilience that the region doesn’t currently have,” the report said.

D.C. Water, the utility in the capital, is considered one of the most forward-thinking water providers in the nation. When the utility hired an emergency manager seven years ago, it was among the first to bring on a full-time official for that position.

Jonathan Reeves, the emergency manager, told The Washington Post: “We protect the water for the center of the free world. We are held to higher standards.”

The utility held a contamination drill two years ago to test its emergency-response readiness, according to The Washington Post. During the three-day drill, utility staff responded to a fake scenario in which a water crisis hit D.C.

“You actually do something to see if it works,” Reeves said.

To read more about utility emergency preparedness visit Water Online’s Resiliency Solutions Center.