The man who runs Washington, D.C.’s primary water utility said Wednesday that his team is “continuing to assess” a potentially historic January sewage spill into the Potomac River, which provides the lion’s share of the D.C. area’s drinking water.
A Jan. 19 sewer system collapse sent over 300 million gallons of bacteria-laden sewage gushing into the river, according to Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a D.C.-based nonprofit devoted to protecting the waterway. District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) CEO David Gadis wrote in a Wednesday open letter that the collapse of the Potomac Interceptor system that caused the spill was “deeply troubling.”
“The Potomac River is a shared natural treasure, and any event that threatens its health understandably causes concern, frustration, and a sense of loss. Those feelings are not only valid – but they are also shared by all of us at DC Water,” Gadis wrote in his letter. “Our immediate priorities have been containment, environmental monitoring, and stabilization – working closely with federal, state, and local partners to assess water quality, ecological impacts, and necessary remediation.”
“For those who live near the river, recreate on it, or work every day to protect it, witnessing this unfold was distressing. We hear that clearly,” said the CEO of DC Water, which is independent of the capital’s local government. “We take seriously the calls from community members and environmental partners for accountability, transparency, and long-term solutions, and we are committed to engaging constructively as this work continues.”
Researchers and members of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network all told The Baltimore Sun Tuesday that the cleanup could linger on for several additional months.
Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks told the outlet that the breach is “one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.” He added that the only spill of a similar magnitude he could name was a 2017 wastewater spill at the California-Mexico border that sent about 230 million gallons of wastewater into the Tijuana River.
“This incident has also underscored a broader reality facing utilities across the country: much of the infrastructure that protects our waterways was built decades ago, long before today’s environmental standards, population growth, and climate pressures,” Gadis added in his Wednesday letter. “The Potomac Interceptor – more than 60 years old – is a critical regional asset, conveying wastewater from across the metropolitan area to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. Its failure reinforces why sustained investment and vigilance are essential.”
“Drinking water for the District of Columbia comes from the Potomac River,” DC Water’s website states.
A spokesperson for the public utility told the Daily Caller News Foundation after publication that the spill does not impact drinking water in and around the nation’s capital.
The DC Water spokesperson also told the DCNF that Hurricane Sandy, a devastating 2012 storm that greatly impacted the coastal northeastern U.S., caused billions of gallons of sewage overflows in New Jersey and New York.
The public utility “distributes drinking water and collects and treats wastewater for more than 700,000 residents and 25.95 million annual visitors in the District of Columbia,” according to DC Water’s website.
“DC Water also provides wholesale wastewater treatment services for 1.8 million people in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia,” the website adds. “We are proud to provide these vital, safe, and high-quality services to our customers while also protecting and enhancing our environment.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comment from DC Water which was sent post-publication.
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