Water Quality in Your Home

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You can take an avatar Tour to find out more about drinking water quality. This interactive movie introduces your tour guide, Trish, who will walk you through questiona about drinking water quality and help you understand water treatment processes.

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Drinking Water Quality Overview

Drinking water in the District of Columbia travels through a series of underground pipes and eventually enters private-side plumbing in homes and businesses. Private-side service lines (the pipes that bring water from the main in the street to your house), household plumbing and a variety of other factors can affect water quality.

DC WASA purchases tap water from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Aqueduct, to distribute throughout the District of Columbia. The water travels through a series of pipes and valves in public space and eventually enters homes and businesses and private-side plumbing. The plumbing hardware in your home can affect the water quality. When the water is not in use and sits stagnant in your household pipes, your home naturally warms the water in the internal plumbing, which can affect the water's taste. Following are some tips to help you ensure drinking water quality in the home.

Click here to download a brochure with these waterquality tips in English and Spanish (PDF 459 kb)

Run the cold tap water when it has not been used for several hours
Run the cold tap for two minutes before using for drinking and cooking when the water has not been used for several hours
Collect and refrigerate cold tap water for drinking after high water use in the home
Clean your faucet strainers
Routinely remove the aerator and clean out debris/sediment
Use only cold water for cooking and drinking
Hot water can contain sediment solids that build up in the hot water heater over time
Replace the filter routinely, if you use a home water filter
Home water filters, designed to improve taste and remove metals, must be replaced every 6 months or as instructed by the manufacturer
Filters that are not replaced can contain elevated bacteria levels and accumulated metals
Drain your hot water heater annually
This removes unnecessary sediment and calcium particles that can accumulate over time
Prevents low water pressure and clogging of hot water pipes
See DC WASA's Guide "How to Drain Your Hot Water Heater." (PDF 368 kb) (English/Spanish)
Flush your faucets if you replace your pipes or fixtures
After replacing plumbing fixtures or pipes, run the cold water taps (called "flushing") for several minutes before each use for several days.

What can you find in this section?

  • Household Plumbing
    Information on old household plumbing, how it affects water quality, and how it can release lead in drinking water.