Washington, D.C.

=== Utilities ===
{{Further|District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority|Pepco|Washington Gas}}
[[File:Secondary treatment reactors - Blue Plains WWTP - 2016a.jpg|thumb|The [[Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant]] in D.C. is the largest [[Sewage_treatment#Tertiary_treatment|advanced]] wastewater treatment facility in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pipkin |first1=Whitney |title=DC water treatment plant powers up for cleaner energy |url=https://www.bayjournal.com/news/energy/dc-water-treatment-plant-powers-up-for-cleaner-energy/article_812d51e0-f67b-11ec-9809-d7e7eeae2b0e.html |access-date=21 March 2024 |work=Bay Journal |date=29 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref>]]

The [[District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority]], also known as WASA or D.C. Water, is an independent authority of the Washington, D.C., government that provides drinking water and wastewater collection in the city. WASA purchases water from the historic [[Washington Aqueduct]], which is operated by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]]. The water, sourced from the [[Potomac River]], is treated and stored in the city's [[Dalecarlia Reservoir|Dalecarlia]], [[Georgetown Reservoir|Georgetown]], and [[McMillan Reservoir|McMillan]] reservoirs. The aqueduct provides drinking water for a total of 1.1&nbsp;million people in the district and Virginia, including Arlington, Falls Church, and a portion of Fairfax County.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Washington Aqueduct System |url=http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 5, 2014 |archive-date=January 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107020849/http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The authority also provides [[sewage treatment]] services for an additional 1.6&nbsp;million people in four surrounding Maryland and Virginia counties.<ref>{{cite web |title=General Information |url=http://www.dcwater.com/about/gen_information.cfm |publisher=District of Columbia Washington and Sewer Authority |access-date=January 5, 2014 |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130707000021/http://www.dcwater.com/about/gen_information.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Pepco]] is the city's electric utility and services 793,000 customers in the district and suburban Maryland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Pepco |url=http://www.pepco.com/welcome/ |work=January 5, 2014 |publisher=Pepco |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040826/http://www.pepco.com/welcome/ |archive-date=January 6, 2014}}</ref> An 1889 law prohibits overhead wires within much of the historic City of Washington. As a result, all power lines and telecommunication cables are located underground in downtown Washington, and traffic signals are placed at the edge of the street.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rein |first=Lisa |title=D.C. streetcar project may get hung up on overhead wires |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040502927.html |access-date=January 5, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 6, 2010 |archive-date=June 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627065720/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040502927.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2013 plan would bury an additional {{convert|60|miles|km}} of primary power lines throughout the district.<ref>{{cite news |last=DeBonis |first=Mike |title=Plan to bury D.C.'s outage-prone power lines backed by task force |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/plan-to-bury-dcs-outage-prone-power-lines-backed-by-task-force/2013/05/14/6571f060-bcc3-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html |access-date=January 4, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 15, 2013 |archive-date=June 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627170457/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/plan-to-bury-dcs-outage-prone-power-lines-backed-by-task-force/2013/05/14/6571f060-bcc3-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Washington Gas]] is the city's [[natural gas]] utility and serves more than a million customers in the district and its suburbs. Incorporated by [[United States Congress|Congress]] in 1848, the company installed the city's first gas lights in the [[United States Capitol|Capitol]], [[White House]], and along [[Pennsylvania Avenue]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Company Profile / History |url=http://www.washingtongas.com/pages/CompanyProfileHistory |publisher=Washington Gas Light Co. |access-date=January 5, 2014 |archive-date=January 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106031709/http://www.washingtongas.com/pages/CompanyProfileHistory |url-status=live }}</ref>