DC Water still working to stop sewage spill into Potomac River, effort slowed by weather

DC Water is still working to stop overflowing sewage that resulted from a break in its Potomac Interceptor line last week and has been polluting the Potomac River.

The overflow has not affected the region’s drinking water, because the Washington Aqueduct draws water upstream from the location of the system break and the spill, DC Water said.

The overflow was first detected around the Clara Barton Parkway and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park on Jan. 19.

Industrial pumps have been used to bypass the damaged 6-foot-diameter part of the Potomac Interceptor since Saturday, DC Water said. But cold weather in the region over the weekend has complicated efforts to fully contain the overflow.

“Crews are maintaining the bypass system day and night to keep the pumps and equipment operating, even as temperatures remain well below freezing. The pumps require frequent cleaning and maintenance because fats, oils, grease, wipes, and other debris in the wastewater have caused blockages,” DC Water said Monday.

The agency asks that people in Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Montgomery County refrain from flushing wipes or pouring grease down sink drains.

The nonprofit Potomac Riverkeeper Network says that E. coli levels have spiked and that the sewage overflow could be catastrophic for the health of the Potomac River.

“These measurements of E.coli bacteria show contamination which is nearly 12,000 times what authorities limit for human contact. And so far, almost 300 million gallons have entered the Potomac River. The long term impact cannot be overstated,” the group wrote on social media Monday.

Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks said, “The vile and putrid smell from the torrent of sewage discharging to the Potomac River for eight straight days is one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen in 25 years as a Riverkeeper. … Raw sewage is not only harmful to humans, but it can also harm the environment through excessive nutrients, toxic contaminants, and disease exposure. This can lead to dead zones in the river, harmful algal blooms, and fish kills.”