DC Distribution: A Single Citywide System
One Utility, One System
In most states, water distribution operators can work for any of dozens or hundreds of independent municipal water systems, small private utilities, or rural water districts. The District of Columbia is structurally simpler: DC Water is the sole distribution utility serving the entire District. A Distribution-certified operator in DC, at any grade level, works within this single citywide system rather than choosing among many independent employers.
The water DC Water distributes is purchased wholesale, already treated, from the federally-operated Washington Aqueduct (see the companion Water Treatment guide for that side of the system).
An Aging, Dense Urban Network
Washington, DC is one of the older cities in the country, and significant portions of its water main network reflect that age -- some infrastru