ReportWire

Tag: potomac interceptor

  • DC Water officials say section of Potomac River expected to reopen soon after spill – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Officials said during a town hall in Southeast D.C. that bacteria levels are dropping to the point that people will be allowed back onto the river for recreational purposes next week.

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    DC Water officials say section of Potomac River expected to reopen soon after spill

    A standing room-only crowd heard from D.C. Water and other officials about the huge Potomac Interceptor sewer spill that resulted in more than 240 million gallons of highly polluted water getting into the Potomac River near Cabin John, Maryland.

    Officials say during the meeting at D.C. Water’s headquarters in Southeast D.C. that bacteria levels are dropping to the point that people will be allowed back onto the river for recreational purposes next week.

    D.C.’s Health Director Ayanna Bennett said regular bacteria testing shows levels are dropping and in the District section of the river restrictions will be relaxed so boaters, rowers and others can go back onto the water.

    “In the D.C. waters we consider it safe for you to have contact with the Potomac and that advisory will be announced as lifted on March 2,” she told the audience.

    “So, we are going to lift our advisory about contact with the Potomac in the D.C. waters.”

    While many people expressed relief that some restrictions on contact with the river are being loosened, D.C. Water officials insist because of the location of the main break, and their actions in the day’s aftermath, the city’s water supply remains safe to drink and no sewage has been released into the river for two weeks.

    D.C. Water CEO David Gadis said the break on the 54-mile pipe that runs from Dulles International Airport in Virginia to the District shows how fragile aging infrastructure can fail.

    “We are committed to looking at all sections of the pipe at the Potomac Interceptor. And also reevaluating their structural and integrity to ensure an event like this does not happen again,” he said.

    Repairs to the sewer line will cost at least $20 million. It’s not clear how the cost will be covered and how much the federal government will cover.

    D.C. Water chief operating officer Matt Brown said the damage sustained on the roughly 60-year-old sewer line showed the vulnerability of the region’s infrastructure.

    “We have some very, very old brick line sewers that are in really good shape and then we have some newer sewers that have some corrosion,” Brown said.

    Many in the audience included D.C. officials, neighborhood advisory commission members, along with some people who depend on the Potomac River for their livelihoods.

    Capt. Tim Blanchard, owner of Fish The Potomac, told the audience that his business had been heavily affected by the spill.

    “We’ve been shut down ever since,” he said, explaining that his plans to expand his operations have been temporarily on hold until the river situation stabilizes.

    But Blanchard said he’s relieved that the advisory could be lifted soon.

    “I’m just excited to get out there and fish again,” he added.

    The meeting was the first of at least two planned town hall-style events to give the public more information about the spill and its cleanup. A second town hall is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland.

    D.C. Water crews have put in place a temporary bypass system, and they say they’ve added additional backup measures to prevent overflow events from taking place while the emergency repairs are underway.

    The utility said since Feb. 8 no additional polluted water has entered the river. Crews are removing rocks and debris from the collapsed section of pipe, and emergency repairs are projected to be completed by mid-March.

    Residents heard from D.C. Water for updates on the Potomac Interceptor sewer spill that resulted in more than 240 million gallons of highly polluted water getting into the Potomac River.
    (WTOP/Dan Ronan)

    WTOP/Dan Ronan

    D.C. Water said it plans to reopen a stretch of the Potomac for recreational use.
    (WTOP/Dan Ronan)

    WTOP/Dan Ronan

    Officials say during the meeting at D.C. Water’s headquarters in Southeast D.C. that bacteria levels are dropping.
    (WTOP/Dan Ronan)

    WTOP/Dan Ronan

    While many people expressed relief that some restrictions on contact with the river are being loosened, D.C. Water officials insist because of the location of the main break, and their actions in the day’s aftermath, the city’s water supply remains safe to drink.
    (WTOP/Dan Ronan)

    WTOP/Dan Ronan

    Repairs to the sewer line will cost at least $20 million. It’s not clear how the cost will be covered and how much the federal government will cover.
    (WTOP/Dan Ronan)

    WTOP/Dan Ronan

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Dan Ronan

    Source link

  • DC provides clearer picture of limited federal help for Potomac Interceptor repair – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. officials said they’re getting a clearer picture of how much federal help will be available as crews continue repairing the collapsed Potomac Interceptor.

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    Massive sewage spill flowing into Potomac River upstream from Washington

    District officials said they’re getting a clearer picture of how much federal help will be available as crews continue repairing the collapsed Potomac Interceptor, which has dropped millions of gallons of sewage in the river since it ruptured in January.

    During an update on repairs from D.C. Water, D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Clint Osborn said the current federal emergency declaration does not allow the District or D.C. Water to recoup money already spent on repairs.

    Osborn said early indications that the federal government would cover 75% of the total repair and cleanup were misunderstood. He said that percentage only applies when federal agencies directly perform work assigned through the emergency declaration, and does not cover the repair work D.C. Water is carrying out.

    “We’re going to continue to work through the preliminary damage assessment process with FEMA this week to determine whether we can convince FEMA and the White House to upgrade us to a major disaster declaration, which would get us reimbursement,” Osborn said.

    At the repair site, D.C. Water spokesperson Sherri Lewis said crews have expanded the excavation area to reach a large rock and debris blockage inside the pipe.

    Lewis said crews have removed a significant portion of the blockage.

    “We’ve removed sections of the pipe over the last couple of days, and so far, have removed about 45 feet of that rock and debris dam. We’re now down to maybe the last eight or 10 feet,” Lewis said.

    After the remaining debris is cleared, crews will clean the inside of the pipe, install steel reinforcement and apply geopolymer to rebuild the interior surface. Lewis said the geopolymer is put on in layers, and each layer needs time to cure until they achieve the needed thickness.

    Lewis said D.C. Water is still on track to finish the emergency repair by mid-March. She also said there have been no overflows into the Potomac River since Feb. 8 and that D.C. Water has added a 14th pump to strengthen the bypass system.

    Osborn said the Environment Protection Agency will help the District move from weekly to daily water testing by providing laboratory support.

    Lewis said downstream readings need to be viewed in the context of normal fluctuations that can be seen in the river, since any water quality spikes could simply be part of normal river behavior and not tied to the interceptor failure.

    “You have to be cognizant of the normal urban river environment before drawing any conclusions,” Lewis said.

    She also noted that federal officials have visited the site, including the EPA administrator and the secretary of the interior.

    Residents should stay away from the work zone, Lewis said, adding people have been walking toward the construction area from Clara Barton Parkway.

    D.C. Water also recently located an additional 2024 condition assessment of the pipe segment and is reviewing, it along with earlier reports.

    “We are committed to a rigorous review process of that and reviewing those facts, and we do plan on sharing what we learn fully once it’s evaluated,” Lewis said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Mike Murillo

    Source link

  • DC Water says Potomac Interceptor repairs are progressing as Army Corps bolsters site protection – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. Water said repairs to the collapsed Potomac Interceptor are still moving forward, with help now from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    Work to repair the collapsed section of the Potomac Interceptor is moving ahead, and with help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, D.C. Water crews are working to stay on track toward restoring full flow by mid-March.

    Sherri Lewis, a spokesperson for D.C. Water, said the water utility company has now gone more than two weeks without wastewater reaching the river.

    “Today is actually the 15th day that we’re going into without any overflows,” Lewis said during a news briefing on Monday.

    Lewis said crews had been working inside the damaged pipe for days, clearing out debris.

    “We’ve had our crews actually inside the damaged section of the pipe, removing large rocks and debris,” she said.

    Once the debris was out and engineers could get a closer look, Lewis said they realized the pipe walls were too unstable for workers to stay inside.

    “They have pretty much cleared out that site, and as we were able to better assess the condition of the pipe, the immediate pipe sections from where it collapsed, it was determined that pipe was too compromised and it was unsafe for us to have workers inside the pipe manually assisting in removing that rock dam,” she said.

    Lewis said with that safety concern, the team switched to a new approach, working to excavate a nearly 40-foot section between the damaged part of the pipe and “another access pit that we had created to access the Potomac Interceptor.”

    She added that crews will stabilize the area, install shoring supports and then cut into the top of the pipe so machinery can remove the remaining rock dam.

    Cost and repairs

    Lewis said the cost of both the repair and the environmental cleanup has now reached about $20 million.

    A federal emergency declaration, which came after a request from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser last week for federal help, triggered support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    Col. Francis Pera, who leads the U.S. Army Corps’ Baltimore District, said they were notified Friday evening and arrived on site Saturday morning. He said they moved quickly to protect the repair work after stormwater from the American Legion Bridge and Clara Barton Parkway flooded the pumping area. They also worked to install several pumps by Sunday night.

    “We already had three of those pumps in operation, safeguarding the pumps that D.C. Water is using to bypass the break in the Potomac Interceptor,” Pera said.

    He said the Corps built a system to catch and divert stormwater from existing drainage areas, so it does not run across contaminated soil or overwhelm the bypass system.

    “We’re catching through natural drainage in those ponds, and then we’re just diverting them. So that is an effort that will stay as long as it is required,” Pera said.

    He also noted that the Corps’ work is aimed at helping D.C. Water keep to its schedule.

    “We get to keep D.C. Water on track. We don’t want to take them off their path to their mid-March completion date for this initial repair,” Pera said.

    Despite the collapse, Pera said the region’s drinking water remains safe.

    D.C. Water said once full flow is restored, crews can shut down the bypass and begin the full environmental restoration along the river, creek beds and the C&O Canal.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Mike Murillo

    Source link

  • Who foots the $20M bill of the Potomac River sewage cleanup, repairs? – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    The cost of cleaning up and making repairs after a sewer line failure sent hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River will total around $20 million.

    The cost of cleaning up and making repairs after a sewer line failure sent hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River will total about $20 million, the CEO of D.C. Water said Friday.

    David Gadis provided the estimate during a briefing on the Jan. 19 failure of the Potomac Interceptor, a roughly 60-year-old, 54-mile long sewer line. The pipe failed in Cabin John, Maryland.

    It’s not entirely clear how the cost will be covered.

    Earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser submitted a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration request, seeking full reimbursement for costs incurred by both D.C. and D.C. Water.

    “We expect 100% reimbursement,” Bowser said.

    But D.C. Water’s facilities, including the Potomac Interceptor, are funded through an intermunicipal agreement, or IMA. Maryland and Virginia would be on the hook for more than 50% of the cost, per the agreement.

    So will the federal government approve D.C.’s request? And if so, will Maryland and Virginia’s share be covered too?

    District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser attends at a news conference regarding the Potomac Interceptor break, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

    “If the president wants to help Americans who deserve to know that the Potomac River is safe, it doesn’t matter, in my estimation, if it comes through D.C. to D.C. Water, because D.C. Water serves D.C., Maryland and Virginia. It’s kind of hard to parse it out,” Bowser said. “We are happy to be the conduit for the region.”

    President Donald Trump also weighed in this week on social media, saying the three jurisdictions needed to work collaboratively. He called out Maryland Gov. Wes Moore by name.

    “If they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding the federal government “can fix it.”

    According to D.C. Water, the utility’s customers will not face any additional financial strain as a result of the sewage spill. Gadis said there would be no rate increase tied to the incident, and that the utility had already submitted planned rate increases for the future.

    Officials also stressed during Friday’s briefing that drinking water was not affected, but said people should avoid recreational contact with the river as a precaution.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Thomas Robertson

    Source link

  • DC mayor declares public emergency, requests federal support in Potomac River sewage leak – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a request for federal support and is seeking reimbursement for costs to D.C. and its agencies dealing with a ruptured pipe that has dumped millions of gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River.

    Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a request for federal support and is seeking reimbursement for costs to D.C. and its agencies dealing with a ruptured pipe that has dumped over 200 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River.

    Bowser declared a public emergency Wednesday night, saying that D.C. agencies have coordinated to manage the incident under the District Emergency Operations Plan.

    “The main piece of that is that the District is requesting reimbursement for costs that have been incurred by the District and D.C. Water, for both the repairs that are going on and remediation,” D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said during a news briefing Wednesday.

    In the mayor’s request for federal support, she asked for “100% reimbursement for costs incurred” by the District and D.C. Water.

    Appiah added that city government has been coordinating support from federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

    D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency has been working since Feb. 6 to conduct water testing, provide guidance to the community, coordinate with other agencies and evaluate the economic impacts, according to the mayor’s emergency declaration.

    “We’re making the specific requests that we know that the District needs to ensure the safety of our waterways,” Appiah said. “Federal entities do exist to support this type of activity, and District residents deserve that.”

    Appiah said federal agencies and President Donald Trump’s administration have been “operating within their lane,” but the D.C. government is in a unique position where they “often have to coordinate lots of federal entities.”

    “One of the reasons that the mayor has made the decision to make this request of a presidential declaration is because it allows the president to really direct FEMA to provide those funds, and that’s a little bit different than kind of the normal grant process of determining what jurisdictions are going to get,” Appiah said.

    When asked why the request is coming now, about a month after the pipe broke, Appiah said the decision was based on ongoing assessments of what would help the city speed up repairs and cleanup, especially with spring approaching and more people expected to use water recreationally.

    Appiah, who is the acting incident commander in this case, said city agencies and regional partners in Maryland and Virginia are working to respond to the incident, calling it a regional effort.

    “It’s a regional system and a regional response,” she said.

    Lawmakers in neighboring Maryland — where the section of the sewer pipe broke along Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County — sent a letter to D.C. Water on Wednesday, pushing for an environmental remediation plan that includes continued testing and an evaluation for human impact.

    In the letter to D.C. Water, congressional lawmakers from Maryland and Virginia have also called for a strong environmental remediation plan, public briefings and vigilant monitoring of bacteria.

    The lawmakers requested that DC Water provide regular updates on the state of repairs, work on a comprehensive assessment and “commit to sustained water quality monitoring well into the spring.”

    President Trump said Monday he is directing federal authorities to step in to coordinate the response and protect the region’s water supply. In a post on social media, he faulted Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other “local Democrat leaders” who he said have “mismanaged” the “ecological disaster.”

    Moore pushed back, saying the president has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor sewer line for decades, adding that the Trump administration has failed to act for the last four weeks and has put people’s lives at risk.

    Local reporter Martin Austermuhle with the 51st told WTOP’s Nick Iannelli on Wednesday night that the mayor’s request opens “the spigot of federal funding.”

    “That could be for everything from actual fixes that D.C. Water is doing on the sewage pipe to any sort of impacts that local businesses in the District could suffer,” he said.

    As of Wednesday morning, D.C. Water has installed six of seven high-capacity pumps, a few hundred yards above the collapse site, under the exit ramp off the American Legion Bridge onto the Clara Barton Parkway.

    The pumps are diverting sewage from above the collapse point to an isolated section of the C&O Canal, to bypass the break, before being steered back into the Interceptor below the damaged pipe.

    This week, after blocking wastewater flow to the collapse site, D.C. Water will finally be able to see the extent of the damage, remove the rock dam and replace the pipe. The utility estimated it will be 4 to 6 weeks until normal flow is returned to the Interceptor.

    “They’re just realizing how serious the situation is. And the more cynical way to look at it is that the president made a very loud case this week that something needs to be done, and the mayor is responding,” Austermuhle said of the seemingly late response from the Bowser administration.

    Austermuhle noted that there have long been health advisories surrounding D.C.’s river, but ” this is much more significant than that.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Ciara Wells

    Source link

  • DC Water looks toward long-term cleanup of C&O Canal, Potomac River – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Later this week, DC Water expects to begin excavating near the collapsed section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line to assess the damage to the pipe and remove boulders wedged inside. At the same time, plans for long-term cleanup are coming together. 

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    See what’s keeping sewage spill away from Potomac River

    D.C. Water is making long-term plans to cleanup land near the C&O Canal — as well as the Potomac River. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

    Later this week, D.C. Water expects to begin excavating near the collapsed section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line, to assess the damage to the pipe and remove boulders wedged inside.

    At the same time, plans for long-term cleanup are coming together.

    It’s been about a month since the Jan. 19 break, which spilled millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Potomac River. The utility is prioritizing emergency repairs and beginning to develop long-term plans to clean up land near the C&O Canal — as well as the Potomac River.

    As of Wednesday morning, D.C. Water has installed six of seven high-capacity pumps, a few hundred yards above the collapse site, under the exit ramp off the American Legion Bridge onto the Clara Barton Parkway.

    The pumps are diverting sewage from above the collapse point to an isolated section of the C&O Canal, to bypass the break, before being steered back into the Interceptor below the damaged pipe.

    This week, after blocking wastewater flow to the collapse site, D.C. Water will finally be able to see the extent of the damage, remove the rock dam and replace the pipe. The utility estimated it will be 4 to 6 weeks until normal flow is returned to the Interceptor.

    “I think the best thing D.C. Water can do right now is to get that emergency repair done, so that we eliminate the risk of overflow, and can eliminate the use of that bypass system,” said D.C. Water spokeswoman Sherri Lewis, echoing the priorities of CEO David Gadis, in a Feb. 11 open letter.

    Nearby, the smell of sewage is obvious, and visual evidence of the spill, including toilet paper, hangs on underbrush in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

    “This is one of the areas, obviously, that we are working on, as far as our environmental restoration plans,” Lewis said.

    “We’re working with our federal, state and local regulators on what that environmental restoration plan will entail, and we’ll start that work as soon as we get that plan approved, and we’ll certainly release that to the public.”

    Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will play a key role in coordinating the response.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Neal Augenstein

    Source link

  • Watch: See what’s keeping sewage spill away from the Potomac River – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    In the month since a major section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line collapsed near the Clara Barton Parkway, spilling hundreds of millions of untreated into the Potomac River, D.C. Water is nearing a crucial point in the recovery process.

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    See what’s keeping sewage spill away from Potomac River

    In the month since a major section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line collapsed near the Clara Barton Parkway, spilling hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Potomac River, D.C. Water is nearing a crucial point in the recovery process.

    Five high-capacity pumps have been installed to facilitate the utility’s near-term goal of reaching the break in the massive sewer pipe and removing boulders wedged inside the broken Interceptor.

    The bypass pumps will increase D.C. Water’s ability to divert sewage upstream of the pipe collapse into an isolated section of the C&O Canal.

    A few hundred yards downstream, D.C. Water has installed three wastewater flumes that steer the sewage from the canal back into the Interceptor for the duration of its trip to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.

    Later this week, after a steel bulkhead is completed and the pump system is coordinated and checked, D.C. Water spokeswoman Sherri Lewis said the goal is to drop a gate to block sewage from entering the damaged section of pipe.

    “That’s going to keep that downstream section by the collapse site as dry as possible, so we can go in and safely remove the rock dam that is blocking our access to the damaged section,” Lewis said.

    “Over the past week, we’ve brought in five more high-capacity pumps because we were facing challenges with wipes that were clogging the pumps,” she added. “And when they have to get taken out of service, particularly during a high-flow period, we run the risk of having an overflow situation and having that wastewater go into the Potomac.”

    Lewis said the extra pumps add redundancy to the system.

    “With all the pumps we have on site, once they are all in place and operational, we will have the ability to pump more than 100 million gallons a day, which is well over the capacity that flows through the Potomac Interceptor,” she said.

    With the pump bypass system diverting sewage temporarily into the C&O Canal, the utility company estimates it will take approximately four to six weeks to remove the boulders and replace the broken pipe.

    After the emergency work is completed, D.C. Water will accelerate a section of the planned rehabilitation of the Interceptor, which is scheduled to take approximately nine months.

    Lewis said the utility is already coordinating with other agencies about long-term cleanup plans to ensure human and environmental safety along the portion of the canal that has been used as the bypass; in addition to D.C. Water’s promises of doing what is necessary to ensure the health of the Potomac River.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Neal Augenstein

    Source link

  • Progress at Potomac sewer collapse but overflow risk remains, DC Water says – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. Water boosts pumping power and activates a third flume at the Potomac sewer break, but warns overflow risk remains until a rock dam is removed.

    D.C. Water is touting new pumping capacity and a third active flume as signs of progress at the site of the massive Potomac sewer pipe break, even as the utility warns the threat of another overflow won’t subside until a rock dam inside the damaged pipe is removed.

    D.C. Water said Sunday that crews increased pumping power and activated a third wastewater flume while preparing a steel bulkhead that would let crews reach and remove the rock obstruction inside the broken Potomac Interceptor.

    All four new high‑capacity bypass pumps recently installed are now fully primed and operational, which D.C. Water said boosts overall flow capacity and reliability as crews manage higher volumes tied to rainfall and melting snow and ice.

    The utility said the third flume near Lock 10 is now sending wastewater back into the interceptor, adding redundancy to the temporary bypass system.

    D.C. Water said three more bypass pumps have arrived on site and can be brought online later this week to add more capacity if needed.

    Fabrication of a steel bulkhead is nearly finished, with installation expected late next week. Once installed, D.C. Water said the bulkhead will block flow into the damaged section of pipe, allowing crews to stabilize surrounding ground, remove the rock dam inside the interceptor and begin permanent repair work.

    While the utility said there were no overflow events over the weekend that reached surface waters, it continues to warn that overflow potential remains until the obstruction is removed and typical flow conditions are restored.

    D.C. Water said it will continue to publish water‑quality sampling results online once available.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Matt Small

    Source link

  • Massive sewage spill into Potomac River: What’s in the water, what are the risks rise as ice melts? – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Questions are being raised about whether D.C. is downplaying the health risks and ongoing environmental damage caused by a sewage pipe that ruptured, sending millions of gallons of wastewater in the Potomac River.

    D.C. Water says new high-capacity bypass pumps are expected to arrive Friday at the site of last month’s sewer pipe break that has poured millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.

    However, questions are being raised about whether the public is being adequately informed about health risks and ongoing environmental damage.

    In an open letter this week, D.C. Water CEO David Gaddis resolved to do everything possible to reclaim the Potomac, following the initial Jan. 17 failure of a 72-inch sewer pipe, known as the Potomac Interceptor.

    But data collected by researchers suggests the D.C. government may be downplaying the dangers of the spill, according to a local environmentalist with the Potomac Riverkeeper nonprofit.

    Researchers with the University of Maryland say they’ve been testing the water once a week since Jan. 21.

    “Even last week we’re still measuring E.coli 4,000 times above recreational water quality standards,” said Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Department of Global, Environmental and Occupational Health.

    “We’ve also detected Staphylococcus aureus and the antibiotic resistant strain of staph aureus, which is called MRSA,” Goldstein told WTOP’s Nick Iannelli.

    The findings pose a substantial danger to humans, Goldstein said.

    “It’s really important for public health, because people who interact with the water, and potentially with the lands that was impacted by the water, could become infected with those bacteria,” Goldstein said.

    The recent ice has frozen the risk in place, but warmer weather could exacerbate the situation.

    “Bacteria can survive in a lot of different types of environments,” Goldstein said. “Wastewater sewage is a type of environment that’s very favorable for bacteria growth. So especially as we see the temperature changing and we see the snow following, it’s really important that we continue to follow what’s happening with the water quality over time.”

    Potomac Riverkeeper: DC is ‘sitting on its hands’

    The gravity of the public health and environmental risk is being underplayed, according to Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper, which is part of the nonprofit network dedicated to protecting the public’s right to clean, safe water in the Potomac and Shenandoah watersheds.

    “Everybody keeps deferring to D.C. Water, and it’s a huge mistake,” said Naujoks, claiming the utility has downplayed risks, and miscalculated early E.coli findings, now saying they were actually 100 times higher than initially reported.

    Naujoks believes local and federal governments have been lax in providing leadership in raising public awareness.

    “D.C. is kind of sitting on its hands,” he said.

    Naujoks said the Environmental Protection Agency and the D.C. Office of Energy and the Environment have regulatory oversight of D.C. Water, which he referred to as “the entity that caused one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.”

    “D.C. Water should not be in this role because they have a vested interest to assure the public that the water is safe,” he said.

    Long-term, he said “If they’re going to restore confidence in people coming back to the water — with crew teams and sailing clubs — we need data, we need sampling, and D.C. is going to have to pay for that to restore the public’s confidence and faith in the Potomac River.”

    On Thursday, D.C.’s Department of Energy and Environment issued its strongest advisory: “Residents and pets should not touch the Potomac River, or engage in any Potomac recreational activities including fishing. D.C. drinking water remains safe and unaffected.”

    In addition, the agency said it is “testing contamination levels at three Potomac River sites and three Anacostia River sites. In addition, D.C. Water is testing five other sites. DOEE testing will continue on a weekly basis and results will be made publicly available.”

    WTOP’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Neal Augenstein

    Source link

  • Bypass brings DC Water close to containing C&O Canal sewer overflow – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. Water said major progress has been made in its efforts to contain a sewer overflow that began after a section of the Potomac Interceptor collapsed along Clara Barton Parkway.

    D.C. Water said substantial progress has been made in its efforts to contain a major sewer overflow that began after a 72-inch section of the Potomac Interceptor collapsed one week ago along Clara Barton Parkway.

    The collapse triggered a significant sanitary sewer overflow into the C&O Canal National Historical Park.

    The Potomac Interceptor is a 54‑mile sewer line that carries roughly 60 million gallons of wastewater a day from communities near Dulles International Airport, Loudoun and Fairfax counties, the towns of Vienna and Herndon, and parts of Montgomery County to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in the District.

    In the days after the Jan. 19 failure, crews assisted by the National Park Service worked nonstop to clear access, install pipes and build a temporary bypass system. The system is designed to divert wastewater upstream of the collapse, route it through a dry stretch of the C&O Canal and return it to the sewer line downstream.

    D.C. Water said the bypass became operational Wednesday night. Six large pumps are now moving wastewater around the damaged section, and flow returning to the sewer system has increased by about 40 million gallons per day.

    Potomac River Keeper Dean Naujoks, holds a biohazard collection bag while standing alongside the site where a massive pipe rupture has sent sewage spilling into the Potomac River, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 in Glen Echo, Md. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

    Some wastewater is still escaping near the break, which D.C. Water said is expected while the collapsed pipe continues to drain. Additional pumps are being brought in to help reach full containment.

    With the bypass running, D.C. Water said crews will begin excavating and inspecting the collapsed pipe segment, removing debris, stabilizing the surrounding ground and developing a long‑term repair plan. The utility has not yet said how long permanent fixes will take.

    The collapse caused wastewater to spill into a creek bed that leads to the Potomac River. D.C. Water said once repairs are complete, the agency and its partners, including the National Park Service and the Maryland Department of the Environment, will survey affected areas for erosion, debris removal and any environmental cleanup.

    D.C. Water said drinking water remains safe and unaffected. The District’s drinking water system is separate from its wastewater system, and the overflow occurred downstream of the Washington Aqueduct’s intake points. Intake structures at Little Falls were also closed as a precaution.

    The collapse occurred just east of the Interstate 495 interchange along Clara Barton Parkway and initially forced the closure of the right inbound lane.

    The public is asked to avoid posted areas along the canal or river. Anyone with questions can contact D.C. Water at 202‑354‑3600 or its 24‑Hour Command Center at 202‑612‑3400.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Matt Small

    Source link

  • Sewer line collapse triggers wastewater spill into C&O Canal near Clara Barton Parkway – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    A section of a sewer line collapsed late Monday, overflowing into the C&O Canal Park.

    A major sewage spill could have some effect for commuters using the Clara Barton Parkway this morning. And a lot of repairs still need to be done. WTOP’s Neal Augenstein is near the C&O Canal (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

    D.C. Water crews are racing to build an emergency bypass system after a major section of a sewer line collapsed late Monday along Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, triggering a significant sanitary sewer overflow into the C&O Canal National Historical Park.

    D.C. Water and contractors are working to build a bypass system to carry 60 million gallons of wastewater daily from areas in Virginia out to Dulles as well as Montgomery County to the Blue Plains treatment plant.

    The collapse involves a 72-inch section of the Potomac Interceptor, a 54-mile sewer line that carries roughly 60 million gallons of wastewater a day from communities near Dulles International Airport, Loudoun and Fairfax counties, the towns of Vienna and Herndon, and parts of Montgomery County, to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment.

    To contain the overflow, D.C. Water is constructing a temporary bypass designed to divert wastewater upstream of the collapse.

    On Wednesday, D.C. Water said crews were mobilized to clean up debris and install pipes in preparation for the bypass. In a news release, the utility company said pumps that will redirect the wastewater could be implemented as early as this weekend.

    The plan says flow will be routed through a dry stretch of the C&O Canal — a temporary channel, then go back into the Potomac Interceptor downstream of the damaged section. Officials say the bypass is critical to stopping additional overflow and protecting the Potomac River and surrounding environment.

    Once the bypass is operational and flows are under control, crews will excavate the damaged area to assess the extent of the collapse and determine how long permanent repairs will take.

    On Thursday, D.C. Water and the National Park Service will begin to remove certain upper lock gates needed to accommodate the bypass.

    D.C. Water stressed that the incident does not affect drinking water. The District’s drinking water system is completely separate from the wastewater system and water service remains safe and uninterrupted.

    The overflow is located downstream from the Washington Aqueduct’s intakes at Great Falls, and intakes at Little Falls have also been closed as a precaution.

    The collapse is located just east of the I-495 interchange along Clara Barton Parkway, forcing the closure of the right inbound lane.

    Drivers heading toward D.C. should expect delays during the morning rush and are encouraged to use alternate routes. The public is reminded to avoid contact with raw sewage that may carry bacteria and viruses

    If you have additional questions or need information, you may contact DC Water’s Customer Care team at (202) 354-3600 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or the 24-Hour Command Center at 202-612-3400.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Will Vitka

    Source link