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The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

GW tests water for lead

GW is in the process of testing the water supply of every on-campus building following reports that water in thousands of city buildings, including a University townhouse, are serviced by lead lines.

University officials said they are using an independent contractor to collect the samples and that testing should be completed next week.

The decision to test campus water comes after GW officials discovered a lead pipeline last month serving the Judaic Studies program’s townhouse at 2142 G St.

The University received a list of the types of water lines serving the GW area from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority in March and found the lead line when they conducted a visual inspection of pipes, said Media Relations specialist Matt Lindsay.

He said GW paid for the tests because WASA, which is responsible for overseeing city water distribution, was only willing to pay for the testing of certain buildings.

“Using a contractor, we will have results available within a few weeks; realistically WASA could not have provided the University with the results as soon as we can receive them through a contractor,”said Lindsay, who declined to discuss the cost of the tests.

Water officials said GW might not have known about the lead pipe because WASA, which was established in 1996, lacks documentation that some older buildings have lead lines.

“WASA is fairly young,” said Marilyn Stackhouse, public affairs officer for the agency. “When these buildings were built, they weren’t required to record what types of service lines they used. We … can’t say, ‘This is what you have.'”

According to WASA, approximately 23,000 buildings across the city could be affected by lead contamination. Specific numbers for the Foggy Bottom neighborhood were unavailable.

As lead pipes slowly corrode, the water supply can be contaminated, said Jerome Paulson, a GW associate professor of pediatrics who has testified at two D.C. City Council hearings about the contamination.

“(Lead) is in the pipes and gets dissolved in the water depending on the chemical characteristics of the water,” he said. “The impact is primarily on young children, but it can affect anybody at any age.”

After GW officials discovered a lead pipeline in the Judaic Studies building March 16, the University recommended that the department’s staff stop using the building’s tap water.

Although GW will replace the lead pipe, it will not know if the building’s water was contaminated until receiving the results of the test, Lindsay said.

Marc Saperstein, director of the Judaic Studies program, said he was surprised that the townhouse’s water was at risk for lead contamination because the building did not seem old.

GW informed students about the discovery of the lead through its campus advisory Web site, http://www.gwu.edu/~gwalert.

Paulson said students should not panic about the possibility of lead contamination in their water because the toxin does not threaten the health of college-age people.

“Since this is primarily an issue for young children, it’s unlikely that elevated levels of lead would have an impact on young and old adults,” he said.

Some students said they were concerned with GW’s water quality.

“I don’t want to be drinking water contaminated with lead,” freshman Kristin LaRoche said. “I don’t know the effect, but I’m sure it’s not good.”

Others said that since learning city water might be contaminated, they have taken measures to protect themselves.

“We weren’t using a filter, but when we found out, we got a filter,” freshman Olivia DesChenes said.

If people are worried about lead contamination, they could reduce their risk by running water for about 10 minutes before using it, according to WASA.

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