{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ahead-of-her-trip-to-flint-next-month-norton-asks-for-update-on-lead", "Ahead of Her Trip to Flint Next Month, Norton Asks for Update on Lead Levels in D.C. Water Supply", "2016-02-23", "2016", "2016-02", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy and District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) General Manager George Hawkins asking for an update on the status of lead levels in D.C.\u2019s water supply given the ongoing lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, where Norton will travel next month as part of a congressional delegation.\u00a0 Norton pointed up the similarities between the lead contamination crisis in Flint and the one in D.C. during the early 2000s, and requested information on current methods for monitoring lead levels in D.C.\u2019s water supply to assure residents that their drinking water is safe.\u00a0 Earlier this month, Norton discussed D.C.\u2019s lead contamination crisis during her questioning at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing examining the lead contamination of the drinking water in Flint.\nIn her letter, Norton wrote, \u201cAlthough Flint\u2019s issues may be more severe, there are parallels between D.C.\u2019s water contamination problems in the early 2000s and Flint\u2019s water crisis today, not least of which is the need for added phosphates to prevent corrosion of lead pipes.\u00a0 In light of the Flint water crisis hearing, and the District\u2019s own history of water quality issues, I request that you send my office information about how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DC Water test for lead in the water supply, how often, and how monitoring is done over time.\u00a0 Moreover, I would like to know if and how DC Water collaborates with the Army Corps to ensure that water leaving the Washington Aqueduct through pipes under the jurisdiction of DC Water is free of lead.\u00a0 Given testimony at the Flint water hearing that the accuracy of some tests are compromised due to \u2018pre-flushing\u2019 the water to reduce the levels of lead, I would especially like to know how DC Water and the Army Corps ensure that the test results are precise.\u201d\nNorton\u2019s full letter is below.\nJo-Ellen Darcy \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0George S. Hawkins  \n\tAssistant Secretary of the Army \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 General Manager  \n\tCivil Works \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0  \n\t108 Army Pentagon \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a05000 Overlook Ave SW \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0  \n\tWashington, DC 20310 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Washington, DC 20032\nDear Assistant Secretary Darcy and Mr. Hawkins:\nI am writing to you for an update on the status of lead levels in the District of Columbia\u2019s water supply.\u00a0 On March 4, I will be traveling with a congressional delegation to Flint, Michigan, which, as you know, is in the midst of a serious lead contamination crisis.\u00a0 On February 3, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the lead contamination of the drinking water in Flint.\u00a0 During questioning, I raised the District\u2019s own tragic lead contamination crisis in the early 2000s, where high levels of lead were found in our drinking water\u2014at the time, some of the highest lead levels ever recorded in this country.\u00a0 This contamination had serious consequences for thousands of District residents, including 42,000 children under the age of two who were potentially exposed to lead during this time, and which also correlated with a spike in the number of fetal deaths and spontaneous abortions.\nAlthough Flint\u2019s issues may be more severe, there are parallels between D.C.\u2019s water contamination problems in the early 2000s and Flint\u2019s water crisis today, not least of which is the need for added phosphates to prevent corrosion of lead pipes.\u00a0 In light of the Flint water crisis hearing, and the District\u2019s own history of water quality issues, I request that you send my office information about how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DC Water test for lead in the water supply, how often, and how monitoring is done over time.\u00a0 Moreover, I would like to know if and how DC Water collaborates with the Army Corps to ensure that water leaving the Washington Aqueduct through pipes under the jurisdiction of DC Water is free of lead.\u00a0 Given testimony at the Flint water hearing that the accuracy of some tests are compromised due to \u201cpre-flushing\u201d the water to reduce the levels of lead, I would especially like to know how DC Water and the Army Corps ensure that the test results are precise.\nI ask for a response to my letter within 30 days.\nSincerely,\nEleanor Holmes Norton\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ahead-of-her-trip-to-flint-next-month-norton-asks-for-update-on-lead"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9317323565483093, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}