Norton to File Legislation on Backup Drinking Water Sources for D.C. and Flooding in Federal Triangle

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that she will file legislation that directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct studies on alternative sources of drinking water for the District of Columbia and on flood mitigation in the Federal Triangle area of D.C. Norton will file this legislation in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as part of the committee's development of the forthcoming Water Resources Development Act of 2022.

Norton said, "There is an urgent need for Congress to act to protect the drinking water and other infrastructure of the nation's capital from serious vulnerabilities."

D.C. is wholly dependent on the Potomac River for its drinking water. Natural or man-made events could render the river unusable for drinking water. The federally owned and operated Washington Aqueduct produces drinking water from the river for D.C. and parts of Virginia. However, the aqueduct maintains only a single day of backup water supply. Many other highly populated metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco have a second source of drinking water, and many are in the planning stages for a third source.

With heavy rain projected to become more frequent due to climate change, the Federal Triangle area is increasingly susceptible to flooding. In June 2006, an intense storm produced flooding in the area, which caused power outages and major disruptions to federal and D.C. operations, forcing closures of local businesses, public transportation hubs and federal buildings. Smaller but still significant storms in the area in 2018, 2019 and 2020 resulted in closures of Constitution Avenue, power and transportation disruptions and flooding of buildings.

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