DC Water Selects the Lead Free Group, a Ramboll and CDM Smith Joint Venture, for Lead Service Line Replacement Program

As LSLs continue to pose a major threat to public health, DC Water developed a compre­hen­sive strategy to eliminate the harmful service lines in the district with an 8-year plan. Lead Free DC is one of the flagship programs in the U.S. following the United States Envi­ron­men­tal Protection Agency’s (US EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), with many other public utilities now enacting similar service line inventory and LSL replacement efforts nationwide.

DC Water selected CDM Smith and Ramboll to complete the 8-year project including program management, public outreach and commu­ni­ca­tion efforts, design, and construc­tion management services to support the utility’s goal of “Lead Free by 2030.”

“Achieving the Lead Free DC vision requires a compre­hen­sive, nuanced plan that not only improves on what we do today, but also details what would be required from us, the city, and our customers to accelerate replacement efforts, and to do it in a way that incor­po­rates water quality and customer equity needs,” said David L. Gadis, CEO & general manager at DC Water.

Although the use of lead piping was phased out by the 1980s, utilities still face the burden of replacing LSLs, with the cost of replacing pipes on private property often falling on the homeowners themselves. Expensive replacement costs have stood as an obstacle for several of DC Water’s customers, and dispro­por­tion­ally for underserved communities in the city.

To address this challenge, DC Water is securing federal funding to address private property issues. The utility also developed a prior­i­ti­za­tion model to use an equitable and data-driven approach to identify high-priority LSL replace­ments. This model determines replacement areas based on several factors, including vulnerable populations and underserved communities where potential health impacts of lead services are at the highest exposure levels (e.g., children, expectant families, median income below the federal poverty level).

“The fast iden­ti­fi­ca­tion and replacement of lead service lines is vital to the health of the DC community, especially for vulnerable populations. The LFG JV team of CDM Smith and Ramboll brings together nationwide best practices, local experience and the expertise needed to deliver the program by 2030,” said Sogol Gremi, CDM Smith principal. “We’re proud to work with DC Water to help them achieve their water quality goals and are excited to partner with Ramboll to execute a successful and expedited program.”

“We are proud to be part of this great and important initiative which supports safe drinking water and social sustain­abil­ity, and we will do our best to make it a success that can serve as inspiration for future lead pipe replacement projects across the country,” says Jeff Rogers, country market director for Ramboll Water in the U.S. 

CDM Smith is a privately owned engineering and construc­tion firm providing legendary client service and smart solutions in water, environment, trans­porta­tion, energy, and facilities. Passionate about our work and invested in each other, we are inspired to think and driven to solve the world’s envi­ron­men­tal and infra­struc­ture challenges.

Ramboll is a global engineering, architecture and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945. Ramboll operates across 35 countries, combining deep local insight and experience with a global knowledge base to create sustainable societies and drive positive change for our clients.