This front-page and above-the-fold piece leads by saying "Cities across the country are manipulating the results of tests used to detect lead in water, violating federal law and putting millions of Americans at risk." Reporters Carol D. Leonnig, Jo Becker, and David Nakamura report on cities that "have thrown out tests that show high readings or have avoided testing homes most likely to have lead." A result? "Communities large and small may have a false sense of security about the quality of their water." The story comes after months reporting by the Post on the District of Columbia's problems with lead in their drinking water. The piece is based on the paper's review of EPA data involving 274 utilities serving about 11.5 million people. The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Erik D. Olson: "The problems we know about are just the tip of the iceberg, because utilities are gaming the system, states have often been willing to ignore long-standing violations, and the EPA sits on the sidelines and refuses to crack down."