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Council committee questions DC Water nominees on Potomac interceptor break, seeks independent review
Summary
The Committee on Transportation and the Environment heard testimony from three mayoral nominees to the DC Water board and pressed them on oversight of the Potomac interceptor break, urging transparency, a third-party investigation, clearer remediation plans and stronger community communications.
Chairperson Allen opened a public roundtable on March 19 to consider mayoral resolutions reappointing and appointing members to the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) board and spent much of the session pressing nominees about the Potomac interceptor break and related remediation.
Rajne Butani Bhatt, the current principal DC Water board member and chair of the retail water and sewer rates committee, told the committee she is "grateful to Mayor Bowser for her continued confidence" and cited more than a decade of board service. Butani Bhatt said affordability work and long-term infrastructure planning have been central to her oversight role and pointed to the interceptor incident as a reminder of the need for sustained investment and strong project oversight.
Dr. Jimmy Ortiz, a long-time Ward 6 resident and current alternate DC Water board member, described his public‑service and operations experience and told the committee the board has emphasized…
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