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May 12, 2004
Water Testing Results Announced
The George Washington University tested all 135 buildings on its Foggy
Bottom and Mount Vernon Campuses to determine if any University buildings
contain elevated levels of lead in drinking water. Based on results from
two samples per building, only one GW property consistently had lead levels
at or above the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action limit.
The one building with the higher level is a private residence owned by
GW occupied by persons not affiliated with the University. GW has notified
the tenants of this building, and asked them to follow the District of
Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) guidelines as they relate to
drinking water. All University students, faculty, and staff are urged
to continue to follow WASA guidelines, which are available via a link
from GW’s Campus Advisories Web site at www.gwu.edu/~gwalert pertaining
to “Water and Lead Resources.”
In the tests two samples of cold water were collected from the same faucet
as close as possible to the service line to each building. On the day
it was sampled, the first water drawn through the faucet was collected;
this is a “first draw” sample. The faucet was then run
for several minutes and a second sample was collected, called the “second
draw” sample. First draw samples represent water sitting in pipes
overnight or for an extended period of time. Second draw samples are more
indicative of the water quality coming into the building during normal
use.
Twenty other GW buildings had lead levels above the EPA’s action
limit of 15 parts per billion in their “first draw.” However,
results from “second draw” were below the EPA limit for all
20 buildings. These tests underscore the importance of allowing water
to run for a minute before drinking from faucets on campus as a general
practice.
GW’s findings support WASA’s recommendations — to use only
cold water for drinking and cooking, to run water for at least a minute
before taking a drink, and to first use water for a purpose other than
drinking each morning, such as for flushing a toilet or showering.
As WASA works to modify the water chemistry to address this issue, the
University will continue to follow the information provided by WASA and
the EPA. Please consult GW’s Campus Advisories Web site at www.gwu.edu/~gwalert
for links to the WASA and EPA Web sites for the most current information
on the lead issue.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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Related Link
Campus
Advisories
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