District of Columbia Seeks Federal Help for Potomac River Sewage Spill

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested federal support as the region continues to deal with a January 19 pipe break that sent sewage flowing into the Potomac River northwest of Washington.

Bowser has asked for a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration. The mayor is seeking 100% reimbursement for costs incurred by the District and the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water).

The ruptured pipe, known as the Potomac Interceptor, is part of the DC Water utility based in Washington that is federally regulated and under the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

While the EPA serves as the lead regulatory authority for the incident, the District said its Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) has conducted coordinated inspections with EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment. To date, DOEE has found that E. coli levels in the District are below EPA thresholds for full contact with the water. DOEE recommends the public take precautions and avoid contact with the Potomac River until these results can be confirmed by longer-term sampling.

DC Water said a bypass system is now rerouting the wastewater around the collapse to limit overflows. No overflow events entering the Potomac River and impacting surface waters have occurred since Super Bowl Sunday, according to the utility.

The bypass system and building of a bulkhead gate should allow workers to stabilize the area and isolate the damaged section of the pipe. Repairs could then take up to six weeks, followed by long-term rehabilitation, DC Water said.

The utility said it is also testing the river for E. coli as have DOEE and Maryland’s environment department. According to DC Water, drinking water is not impacted.

“Crews and contractors have been working around the clock to respond to this complex and challenging situation for nearly a month, under extremely challenging weather conditions,” the utility said in an update.

In her appeal to the Trump Administration, Bowser has requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) immediately establish regular interagency coordination calls among federal agencies, affected states, and provide additional federal technical and testing assistance for expanded water quality monitoring, environmental modeling, and engineering support, as needed.

The mayor has requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineersto assess the water quality protection, treatment capacity, backup power, and operational resilience.

She also asked that the Trump Administration consider for support for affected small businesses from the Small Business Administration.

In the longer term, the Bowser is urging the Army Corps to accelerate capital improvements to the Washington Aqueduct and for the federal government to fully fund flood protection improvements at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, which serves both local and federal populations. The $20.3 million resilience project is currently on hold following FEMA’s cancellation of its funding, which Bowser said is “placing critical infrastructure improvements at risk.”

Photo: Potomac River sewage spill worksite. DC Water photo.