Summary of August 28th Meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force
The Task Force is co-chaired by City Administrator Allen Lew and DC Water General Manger George
Hawkins
*Use the following link to watch a video of this Task Force meeting:
http://www.oct.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/channel16/Flood_TF_8_28_12.asx .
Mr. Lew began the meeting by explaining that the Task Force has been directed to investigate the
causes of the flooding, identify ways to prevent and mitigate the effects of flooding in the
Bloomingdale/LeDroit Park area as well as remedial actions to reduce the likelihood of future flooding.
I.
DC Water’s Presentation
George Hawkins made a 45 minute presentation that was very similar to the presentation he made
before the Bloomingdale Civic Association on Saturday, August 4th, 2012. DC Water’s preliminary
conclusions are that:
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The sewer system is not big enough to accommodate the flow
The amount of rainfall overwhelmed the system
a. CIC analysis
DC Water has begun a closed circuit camera (CIC) analysis of the sewer lines in the area. As of August
28th, DC Water had searched about 30% of the sewer lines in the area and expected to complete the CIC
review by the end of September. So far DC Water has determined that:
 There are some areas that need repairs but in Bloomingdale they have not found any
obstruction that would have caused the sewage backups
 It is possible that there was an obstruction that has been washed away
b. Catch basins
Mr. Hawkins indicated that DC Water cleans all catch basins in the District at least once a year. Catch
basins in Bloomingdale receive more attention. Bloomingdale catch basins were cleaned in April/May
2012 (371 were cleaned). After the first round of flooding (I believe he meant after the July 10th storm),
DC Water returned to inspect and clean catch basins. DC Water does not believe catch basins caused the
flooding. Mr. Hawkins explained that sewage backups are indicative of the catch basins working
because the system backs up when too much stormwater enters the system then the flow in the sewer
pipe fills up and creates pressure in the sewer lines and starts pushing flow back up the sewer lines
directly to anything below grade (i.e., basements). If the catch basins are not working properly that will
cause street flooding and decrease flooding coming in the through the sewer. DC Water will continue to
clean catch basins in the Bloomigdale/LeDroit Park area more frequently.
c. Round 1 of DC Water’s Action Plan (Short term solutions )
 Created a dedicated webpage http://www.dcwater.com/workzones/bloomingdale/default.cfm
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Summary of August 28th Meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force
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Conducted customer surveys
Established email and hotline systems: (202) 787-2688 or email bloomingdale@dcwater.com.
Helped distribute sandbags (recommends they be distributed in advance going forward rather
than right before a storm)
Offering free in home engineering consulting to address overland flooding (i.e., flooding coming
in through a door)
Offering a rebate program that covers 90% of the cost of a backflow preventer and installation
up to $3000 (note that some neighbors are getting estimates that far exceed $3000. DC Water
has suggested that the cost may be reduced by hiring a general contractor to break the concrete
rather than having a plumber do that part of the work). The rebate program is back dated to
July 1, 2012.
This is a low risk flood zone so there is emergency response support for insurance
Offering workshops on backflow preventers September 6th & September 8 (co-hosted by the
Bloomingdale Civic Association)
Door guards or door gates may be an alternative to sandbags
d. Mid-term solutions
 There is an engineering study underway to consider mid-term solutions. DC Water engineers will
have a report by the next Task Force meeting. Their directive is to consider ideas first and cost
later.
 Considering solutions that would involve:
o Capture and retain stormwater upstream of Bloomingdale
o A relief sewer
o Determining whether disconnections could be made to take the matter directly to trunk
sewers
o Pumps and potentially pumping it faster
The long term solution is the installation of a new 13 mile tunnel which is already underway pursuant to
court order and is slated to be completed in 2025. Even in a best case scenario, the earliest completion
date would be 2020-2021.
e. Other potential options and assistance from other agencies
 Rain barrels – would involve DDOE and other green infrastructure
 FEMA-Homeland Security Emergency Management support – would include disaster relief
funding, backflow preventer rebate
 DDOT- modifying the flow on the street to alleviate flooding; traffic redirection
 DCRA – assist with backflow preventer rebate program; determine whether we need changes to
the building or plumbing codes for basement apartments
 DMPED & City Administrator need to insure that new development does not exacerbate the
flooding problem
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Summary of August 28th Meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force
II.
Task Force Discussion
CM McDuffie
 Need to provide relief to residents. Even with the backflow preventer rebate program, some
residents will be missed and they still need assistance.
 Recommended that a relief fund be established for residents who have been impacted. Noted
the need to identify agencies that can contribute funds
Homeland Security Emergency Response Agency (HSEMA) Acting Director Chris Geldart
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If a disaster is declared, 15% of funds can be allocated to preventative measures – requires a
showing of repetitive loss
HSEMA can provide residents information on the National Flood Insurance Program if they
qualify
Department of Health Director Saul Levin
 Could this area be raised from a low risk to moderate /high risk flood zone?
DDOE
 Response – DDOE is currently working with FEMA to determine whether the flood zone can be
changed
 The type of flooding at issue – internal flooding – does not appear on flooding maps as a result
this area is categorized as low risk.
DPW Director William Howland
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In last 10 years, how many times has the area flooded and what were the rainfall and causes of
flooding?
DC Water GM George Hawkins
 Noted storms in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2012. Indicated that those were larger storms and that
the frequency of flooding this summer caught them off guard
Teri Janine Quinn
 How would HESMA/FEMA funding be distributed and how do we get that information to
residents ASAP?
HESMA – Chris Geldart
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Mitigation Programs would be run by District agencies; we are currently tapping into mitigation
funds received for the hurricane and earthquake
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Summary of August 28th Meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force
CM McDuffie
 Residents need to know what rules/procedures they need to follow to recoup money spent on
flood related repairs
 We need to focus on the speed and efficiency with which we provide information to the
community about eligibility for funds; noted the frustration that will come from residents who
make repairs right away and are denied compensation because they did not follow rules that
they did not about or that did not exist at the time of their repairs
City Administrator (CA) Lew
 DC Water previously looked into a backflow preventer program but a prior GM nixed that plan;
addressed the sense of urgency and the need to think outside the box and review what has
worked in other jurisdictions
 We should consider options like flood gates/guards (barriers for doors that prevent overland
flooding)
Teri Janine Quinn
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How can we cut the lead time for Bloomingdale/LeDroit Park residents for River Smart Homes
rain barrels (at the time the lead time was 6 months)  DDOE agreed to take this back as an
action item
Noted the need for advance notice to the community of Task Force meetings  CA Lew agreed
to take steps to improve notice process
What are DC Water’s eligibility boundaries for the backflow preventer rebate program?  GM
Hawkins said the eligibility map has been updated on DC Water’s site which provides the
general area; offered to provide more information if that is insufficient
CM McDuffie
 We need to catalog the programs that are immediately available to residents. The government
needs to do a better job communicating internally; noted the need for a clear emergency
response plan; also noted that he’s looking into legislative changes regarding insurance policies
HESMA Geldart
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Recommends that residents sign up for DC Alert to receive notices about weather emergencies
CA Lew
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The Office of the City
http://oca.dc.gov/node/226932
Administrator
has
set
up
a
flooding
website
Teri Janine Quinn
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Asked GM Hawkins to look at the impact of NOMA becoming increasingly occupied over the past
year, the upcoming development in Eckington and provide an update on where you are on
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Summary of August 28th Meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force
assessing the impact of the proposed development at McMillan by our next Task Force  GM
Hawkins said he’ll see what he can do
CA Lew
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III.
We will meet once a month and subcommittees will meet in between the monthly meetings but
work product should be flowing among the committee between the meetings (subcommittees:
technical, finance, research and planning, emergency response, legislative and government
affairs)
Public Comments
Robert Vinson Brannum
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Provided information regarding the history of flooding in Bloomingdale. Suggested that we
review the District’s findings after the 2001 storm. Noted the need to address mental health.
Recommended that we seek insight from residents as the committees move forward. We should
explore the differences between the flooding events. We need a plan for removing/reusing old
sandbags.
Betsy McDaniel
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Discussed the urgency of the situation. She is disappointed that while the map on DC Water’s
website has been updated, the presentation we saw today included an old map which omits her
part of the flooding area. Noted the complexity of the issue and that we need multiple solutions
to address various types of flooding. She does not think development in the neighborhood is the
problem. She asked the Department of Health to advise residents on how to address flooding.
She wants better assistance with trash pickup. Requested that the Task Force look into inflatable
dams and gates that may block flooding from going into Georgetown  GM Hawkins responded
that the gates that are used are to keep the Potomac River from coming inland into Georgetown
and noted that the portion of the tunnel that will reach Bloomingdale was not part of the Clean
Rivers project but rather DC Water added that section to the plan specifically to address the
flooding issues in Bloomingdale
CA Lew made a few comments regarding the structure of the subcommittees and meeting concluded.
The Emergency Response subcommittee will meet September 19th at 6pm at St George’s Episcopal
Church (160 U Street, NW).
The next Task Force meeting will be held September 27, 2012 at 4:30 pm in Room G9 of the Wilson
Building.
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