WASHINGTON (7News) — President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the federal government “has no choice, but to step in” after a collapsed sewer pipe sent nearly 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River last month.
A sewer pipe near the I-495 and Clara Barton Parkway interchange collapsed on Jan. 19, sending wastewater into the ground, the C&O Canal, and the Potomac River. The sewer system, called the Potomac Interceptor, was built in the early 1960s and carried around 60 million gallons of wastewater daily to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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President Donald J. Trump blamed the spill on“Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland.”
Trump said in the post that he was directing federal involvement, writing, “Therefore, I am directing Federal Authorities to immediately provide all necessary Management, Direction, and Coordination to protect the Potomac, the Water Supply in the Capital Region, and our treasured National Resources in our Nation’s Capital City.” He added, “FEMA, which is currently being defunded by the Democrats, will play a key role in coordinating the response.”
The University of Maryland’s School of Public Health called the incident “one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.” In a news release, the school said it detected fecal-related bacteria and pathogens in water testing after the spill, “raising urgent public health concerns and underscoring the risks posed by aging sewer infrastructure.”
E. Coli levels were found to be almost 2,000 times higher than safe standards, according to a DC Water test. However, a test conducted by the University of Maryland levels up to 10,000 times higher in the days immediately after the collapse.
Health and environmental officials from Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, D.C., and Virginia have officially released advisories for people and pets to avoid the river.
Right now, DC Water is working on an interim fix, which is expected to take four to six weeks to complete, according to spokesperson John Lisle. A nine-month project mentioned by officials is part of a larger “slip-lining program” to update the old infrastructure.
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