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A New Water Lab at UDC article & photos by Marjorie Lightman
“S
oil and water free of lead, toxic wastes and heavy metals are as important to the household and the backyard vegetable garden as they are to the industrial size farm.” So says Dr. Sabine O’Hara the newly appointed dean of Univeristy of the District of Columbia’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Science, known as CAUSES. And, with the opening in May of the Water Resources Management Laboratory UDC campus at Van Ness and Connecticut Av., NW. Dc residents now have a convenient way of testing their water for lead and other impurities. Since 2002, when reports of high lead content in tap water began appearing in the media, Washingtonians have endured exposés, official cover-ups, and faulty efforts to ameliorate the problem to little avail. In 2010 the Center for Disease Control found that 15,000 “partial pipe replacements” undertaken by WASA across the District “may not have reduced lead levels and may even have made the problem worse.” The lab is a serious place, but also fun to visit. Trays, lights, magnifiers, sprays and microscopes line the table tops and offer visions of water that reveal microbes, chemicals, traces of heavy metals and lead. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. Dr. Tolessa Deksissa, a member of the University’s faculty and the head of the lab, looks forward to engagement with the community and invites inquires. Call him at: 202-274-5273 or email: tdeksissa@UDC.edu. The testing lab is part of a larger effort by the University to provide services for a greener environment. The extension program at CAUSES includes agricultural research at its farm in Maryland. Don’t know about the farm? That’s not surprising. It’s an underused resource. Located in Northern Maryland, the 143 acre Muirkirk Farm is the site of the annual Urban Agricultural Fair that includes hands110 H HillRag | June 2012
Dean Sabine O’Hara and a UDC student speak with Lab Director Dr. Tolessa Dekissa.
Lab Director Dr. Tolessa Dekissa demonstrates his equipment.
The UDC Lab.
on activities for District residents and school children. It’s also a research station with an extension program open to the District’s urban gardeners. Dean O’Hara is an environmental scientist passionate about the quality of water and soil and she is ready
to take up the battle for clean water on behalf of the community. For Dr. O’Hara helping every District resident to clean water and healthy soil is a mission that realizes CAUSES land-grant history and commitment to bettering the lives of District resi-
dents. Capitol Hill resident Kathleen O’Reilly, who now drinks bottled water, can’t wait to get her water tested. As she notes, “I could save the environment from all the plastic bottles that I now buy, and I could save a little money too.” H