Skip to content
NoVA & DC Plumbing Map

Sheet 5 of 18 · District of Columbia

Anacostia and east of the river, mapped

Full map

East of the river, the Anacostia Tunnel is already holding overflow in heavy rain, and DC Water's backup and lead rules are the same ones that apply across the District.

Sheet revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map

Bright yellow and green painted row of houses at 13th and W Streets SE
Houses at 13th and W Streets SE in the Anacostia Historic District.
Who does what here
WaterDC Water, public space source
SewerDC Water's main; your lateral source
PermitsDOB source
LicensingDLCP source
Lead pipesDC Water and Lead Free DC source

What is particular here

The river gives this sheet its name, and it is the waterway at the center of the Clean Rivers work. Per DC Water's flooding page, the lower leg of the Anacostia Tunnel is in operation and can hold more than 100 million gallons of sewage and stormwater. The Northeast Boundary Tunnel is meant to reduce overflows to the Anacostia further, though that page is dated and still describes it as being built. Whether any of this changes backup risk at your address, we cannot say.

DC Water says the District has a combined sewer and backups are more common in that area. We have no source mapping the combined area onto east-of-the-river streets. Ask DC Water, on 202-612-3400, which kind of sewer serves you. For a basement backup, stop using drains and keep children and pets from the sewage. See basement backups.

View across Anacostia toward central DC from a hilltop lawn at Cedar Hill
The view across the city from Cedar Hill in Anacostia.

Rebates and claims

The backwater valve rebate pays up to $6,000. Terms are on the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park sheet; the office is 202-787-2003. A DC-licensed master plumber must pull the permit. DC Water generally does not pay for cleanup, and claims go to 202-787-2052.

Lead and road projects

When DC Water or DDOT digs up a street, DC Water can replace the private side of a lead line free if the owner signs a Right of Entry. That route depends on a project reaching your block, so ask DC Water about work scheduled nearby. The other programs are on DC lead programs. Renters can ask a landlord in writing; sellers and landlords must disclose lead pipes they know of.

This map does not cover Maryland.

What the map can't tell you

  • Whether your block has a combined or separate sewer.
  • Whether a capital project is coming that would replace your private lead line at no cost.
  • Whether tunnel work has reduced backup risk at your address.
  • Which lead-line color a vacant or rented building would show; the map is mostly historic records.
Gray Anacostia River under cloud with a construction crane on the far bank
The Anacostia River near a combined sewer outfall, 2018.

Check your own address

  1. Ask DC Water, on 202-612-3400, about the sewer type and any scheduled street work on your block.
  2. Check your address on DC Water's lead map, then call Lead Free DC on 202-787-4044 about the programs.
  3. If you had a backup, keep dated photographs and the plumber's report for the rebate.
  4. Verify any plumber on the DLCP license lookup before you hire, and read who owns which pipe.

More on checking an address

Survey notes: sources for this page