Congressional staff and others are having to drink bottled water around the Capitol after unsafe lead levels were detected by Capitol staff in the Cannon House Office building this week.
“This week during Cannon House Office Building lead-in-water testing, the AOC (Architect of the Capitol) received results that indicate lead levels in some drinking water sources are slightly above the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard,” House staff wrote in an alert sent to House offices Tuesday.
Staff shut down drinking water sources inside the office building and bottled water was distributed for staff while further testing is completed, according to the alert.
The discovery of unsafe lead levels at the Capitol comes as lawmakers are considering additional infrastructure spending that would help the residents of Flint, Michigan — who have been racked by lead in their water.
It’s the second water problem for House staffers in one week. Workers at the Rayburn House Office Building were caught in a deluge last week after a water line burst inside the building.