Council hits WASA about lead

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A D.C. Council member yesterday called for sanctions against the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority along with an immediate change in the agency's leadership amid continued criticism over its handling of lead contamination in the city's tap water.

"Why does WASA not care about the health of the people who pay their salaries?" Council member Adrian Fenty, Ward 4 Democrat, asked during an oversight hearing of the agency yesterday.

Mr. Fenty called for a "change in the leadership of WASA immediately." He also said top agency officials should be penalized for their handling of the lead-contamination problems.

However, Council member Carol Schwartz, at-large Republican, disagreed.

"I don't think having heads roll in the middle of a crisis is the answer," she said. "I think it's sexy, but I don't think it's responsible."

WASA officials have been the target of mounting criticism in recent weeks from elected officials and residents, who say the agency did not do enough to inform them about follow-up tests over the summer that revealed high levels of lead in the city's tap water. Testing initially was done in 2002.

Jerry Johnson, general manager, said WASA is working to inform residents with lead service lines about the problem.

"The plan is to alert these persons with lead service lines as quickly as we can get correspondence out to them," Mr. Johnson said.

About 23,000 of WASA's 130,000 service lines contain lead. Samples taken at more than 4,000 homes since 2002 have found lead levels well above the safe range of 15 parts per billion.

WASA Board of Directors Chairman Glen Gerstell yesterday said the agency has tried several ways in recent weeks to deal with the lead problem.