Lead Free DC · launched 2019
DC is digging up every lead pipe in the city
There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. DC Water has committed to replacing all 42,000 lead service lines by 2030, at no cost to the property owner.
Why this matters
A service line is the pipe running from the water main under the street into your home. Where that pipe is lead, it can leach into drinking water — and lead exposure in children is associated with irreversible effects on brain development. There is no threshold below which it is considered safe.
DC has particular history here. In the early 2000s the District experienced one of the most serious municipal lead-in-water episodes in the country, after a change in disinfection chemistry caused lead to leach from pipes. Replacing the pipes entirely is the durable fix.
How it works
Replacements come in two forms. DC Water initiates work where it is already digging — during water main replacement or paving projects, which is the cheapest time to do it. Property owners can also request a replacement directly.
Critically, DC Water replaces the full line, both the public portion under the street and the private portion on your property. Partial replacements can temporarily increase lead levels, so doing only half the job is worse than doing none.
Check your own address. DC Water publishes a service line materials map showing the recorded pipe material for each property. It is on their open data portal, along with a pipe materials dashboard.
Progress and the 2030 target
About a quarter of the work was done by late 2025, against a 2030 deadline. That implies the pace has to increase substantially in the remaining years — roughly 6,000 lines a year against a run rate that has been closer to 2,000.
Sources: DC Water Lead Free DC programme materials and service line inventory; figures current to January 2026.