"A D.C. utility had been working for weeks to repair a collapsed sewer line when the president blamed Maryland’s governor for the contamination on Monday."
"An enormous sewage spill that sent hundreds of millions of gallons of raw human waste into the Potomac River is threatening the health of the river and the safety of those who use it.
In what appears to be the largest discharge of its kind in the nation’s history, untreated sewage began gushing into the Potomac on Jan. 19, when a section of a sewer line collapsed near the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Md., about five miles upstream of Washington. The 72-inch-wide pipe, called the Potomac Interceptor, normally carries up to 60 million gallons of waste a day.
The sewage flooded into the river unencumbered for about a week, until D.C. Water, the utility that owns and operates the sewer line, was able to divert it to a section of pipe downstream that runs to a water treatment facility. But there have been intermittent sewage spills as recently as Feb. 10, and the utility expects it will be four to six weeks before the pipe is repaired."
Scott Dance, Maxine Joselow, and Eric Niiler report for the New York Times February 17, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"Bowser Declares Potomac Sewage Spill An Emergency, Seeks Federal Aid For Cleanup" (Washington Post)
"Moore Accuses Trump Of ‘Lying’ About Potomac Sewage Spill" (The Hill)
"Trump And Maryland Governor Feud Over Potomac River Sewage Spill Disaster" (Guardian)
"WATCH: See What’s Keeping Sewage Spill Away From The Potomac River" (WTOP)
