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Concerned residents gathered at Walt Whitman High School as DC Water outlined efforts to tackle a major Potomac sewage spill.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — About 300 people packed Thursday’s meeting at Walt Whitman High School to hear the very latest about the Potomac sewage spill.
DC Water worked to calm concerns – sharing updates on water testing and repairs.
“We understand the gravity of this situation,” said David Gadis, DC Water.
At the meeting, DC Water confirmed crews are still removing rock from the collapse site before the next phase of repairs can begin.
“The pipe has been dry and we’ve been doing that excavation. There’s a little bit more rock in there. Crews continue to work. They were in there yesterday and overnight,” said Matt Brown, Chief Operating Officer.
The agency also confirmed it’s working with an environmental consultant as they map out the cleanup.
Officials say water testing continues daily – and emphasized Thursday that drinking water is still safe and testing shows bacteria levels are decreasing.
A chief health officer with Montgomery County told a coach concerned about upcoming water-related sports that he would not “encourage kids to be splashing around.”
“I would not encourage kids to be splashing around with their colleagues in a way that I know is common on crew teams. Taking a little extra precaution because we know the levels are elevated. Don’t think we need to avoid the water – the levels have been consistent that it seems to be safe to be able to do things,” said Dr. Kisha Davis.
Dozens of community members had questions during the Q&A portion of the meeting.
Some asked for additional testing in more areas, more long-term testing, and more accountability for DC Water.
“This is a major pollution problem. Major impact on the river. There will be watermen who will be put out of work this year,” said Dean Naujoks, Patomac Riverkeeper.
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