DC Water has committed US$21 million over three years, from 2025 to 2028, to Pure Water DC, a study and pilot program for an alternative to the District's single drinking water source. The program launched on November 19, 2025.
One river, one supplier
The District's water comes from the Washington Aqueduct, which withdraws about 140 million gallons a day from the Potomac River at Great Falls and Little Falls. DC Water says the District came within 30 minutes of exhausting its supply on the eve of Independence Day 2024, and it cites a 2024 study putting regional losses at US$15 billion in the first month of a major disruption.
What the money buys
The US$21 million pays for studies, pilots and public engagement, not a plant. The option under study is advanced water reuse, including potable reuse at the Blue Plains wastewater plant. The US Army Corps of Engineers is running a feasibility study, and US EPA and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin are partners.
The first building
The Pure Water DC Discovery Center at Blue Plains broke ground on June 10, 2026, and its opening is targeted for fall 2027. A full-scale reuse plant remains at study and feasibility stage.
The plan around it
Pure Water DC sits beside a US$9.69 billion capital plan for FY 2026 to FY 2035, adopted on March 5, 2026, which already carries the Potomac River Tunnel, at US$819 million, and a US$625 million Potomac Interceptor program.
How Pure Water DC fits DC Water's other 2030 commitments, what the capital plan and planned borrowing mean for the second-source decision, and which milestones to watch through 2027 are set out in the full report. The full report, Water Utility of the Future: DC Water, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the DC Water Utility Snapshot.