From PBS NewsHour.
A 1960S-era sewer pipeline, northwest of the nation’s capitol, collapsed in January flooding the iconic Potomac river with millions of gallons of wastewater.
The pipeline is a 54-mile long sanitary sewer system called the Potomac Interceptor. It moves raw sewage and household wastewater from Maryland and Virginia to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Southwest, D.C.
According to D.C. Water, more than 243 million gallons of the wastewater have spilled into the river since the rupture occurred, with most spilling out in the first five days. A week after the spill, water quality sampling found E. coli near the site to be more than 1000 times what the EPA considers safe for swimming.
Officials say D.C. drinking water has not been affected by the spill, and while E. coli levels have significantly dropped in the weeks since, health officials still recommend humans and pets avoid contact with the river.
DC Water is working to complete a bypass system that is meant to contain and reroute the wastewater while the main pipeline is repaired. The emergency repair is set to take another four to six weeks.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday that he would direct federal agencies to intervene in what has become one of the worst wastewater spills in US history, adding that FEMA would play a key role in the response.
But DHS, which is home to FEMA, is operating at reduced capacity during the current partial government shutdown.
Trump also blamed the disaster on Maryland Democrats and governor Wes Moore, accusing them of “gross mismanagement” of the situation. Moore is a potential 2028 presidential candidate who has increasingly been at odds with President Trump.
A spokesperson for Moore responded to Trump saying the federal government, not Maryland, is responsible for the pipeline and, “Apparently, the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here.”
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Sign up for Here’s The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour
