While untreated sewage has built up in pipes, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority appears to have prioritized diversity and equity, which has set the scene for what might end up being the largest sewage spill in U.S. history.
DC Water’s CEO, David L. Gaddis, has promoted equity and diversity during his time in office. Interestingly, he was also named in a lawsuit tied to his former employer concerning water pollution issues in Flint, Michigan.
Before joining DC Water in 2018, Gaddis worked as executive vice president at Veolia North America and served as CEO of Veolia Water in Indianapolis. Notably, he is the first Black CEO at DC Water and the first Black executive to lead a major power company in Indianapolis. In his biography, he highlights his collaboration with local leaders and his commitment to diversity initiatives.
However, his reputation took a hit in 2018 when an amended class action lawsuit pointed to a Promise Gaddis made while at Veolia. He claimed the company would leverage its “technical expertise” to ensure water quality in Flint, underscoring its experience with challenging water sources. The lawsuit suggests that residents had every reason to trust Veolia’s assurances about safety.
Veolia had reportedly told the public that Flint’s murky drinking water was due to old, unlined cast iron pipes. Yet, it turned out, dangerous levels of lead were actually present, as revealed by the former mayor’s testimony in 2022.
Emails later surfaced indicating that Veolia officials knew the issues were more serious than just color and smell; they acknowledged the presence of lead. Gaddis was included in communications about potential lead contamination prior to public assurances that the water was safe.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, an associate dean at Michigan State University’s School of Public Health, noted the alarming situation in Flint where residents experienced skin rashes and hair loss, prompting questions about water safety for mixing baby formula. NPR highlighted that many Flint residents still lacked clean water a decade later.
As of February 2025, Veolia has contributed over $79 million to settlements linked to the state of Michigan and around 26,000 individual claims. Despite this, the company maintains its commitment to Flint, suggesting a recent trial concluded without negative findings against them. Gaddis had already taken up his role at DC Water prior to the settlements.
Before Gaddis’ leadership, DC Water was recognized globally for its high performance. He aspired to elevate the authority further by placing a focus on fairness across various stakeholders—employees, customers, and communities. His endeavors in this area earned him recognition as one of the Most Influential Black Business Leaders of 2022.
Ironically, part of this mission includes promoting a “lead-free DC,” which Gaddis claims integrates community equity considerations into how projects are prioritized.
DC Water under Gaddis has also pursued “Fair share goals” that aim to boost participation from disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned businesses. This initiative emerged partly due to pressure from the EPA regarding federal funding compliance.
To strengthen participation goals, DC Water collaborated with the Business Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council to provide bidding incentives for underrepresented contractors on substantial projects. Recent data shows that, by 2024, disadvantaged women-owned businesses secured a sizable portion of contract awards.
The EPA paused these fair share goals amid pressures from the Trump administration. Although they aren’t currently enforced, DC Water’s site indicates ongoing ambitions to allocate significant contracts to minority and women-owned businesses. Requests for comments from DC Water regarding its adherence to these goals went unanswered.
Gaddis’ leadership is now overshadowed by the substantial sewage spill into the Potomac River, marking a significant blemish on his tenure.
President Donald Trump described the incident as a “massive ecological disaster” and attributed it to mismanagement by local Democratic leaders, urging federal intervention.
The spill has seen 300 million gallons of sewage released over the past month. Echoing previous issues in Flint, DC Water acknowledged a major mistake in its reporting of E. coli levels, potentially underreporting contamination by more than a hundred times.
Once again, DC Water did not respond to inquiries regarding Gaddis’s past or how the agency is handling the aftermath of the spill.
