DC Water said the massive sewage pipe that ruptured and leaked raw waste into the Potomac River has returned to operation after emergency repairs were completed, bringing the system back online on Saturday.
The utility said it finished testing to determine whether the 72-inch diameter Potomac Interceptor pipe could handle the flow again.
The pipe ruptured on Jan. 19, sending 250 million gallons of untreated sewage into the river just north of the nation’s capital over the first five days, according to the report.
DC Water worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to repair the leak and monitor the ecological impact on the river, and the utility said additional work on the pipe and system could take months.
The report said drinking water was never in jeopardy. It added that recreational use by anglers, boaters and others on the Potomac has been closely monitored because of concerns over the presence of deadly bacteria that can be passed along through direct contact with the water.
A class action lawsuit was filed March 6 in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, accusing DC Water with negligence. The lawsuit named plaintiff Nicholas Lailas, a Virginia resident and recreational boat user on the Potomac, and sought compensation for people “whose property interests in and use and enjoyment of the Potomac River … have been impaired by Defendant’s conduct,” the report said, adding that it did not specify a damage amount.
The spill occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland, along Clara Barton Parkway, near the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, and the incident became a serious environmental issue and a focus of political bickering between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic-led Maryland, the report said.
In a post on X, DC Water said, “Full flow has been restored and the C&O Canal has been fully drained as part of site restoration.” The utility also wrote that “Since Jan 19, crews worked around the clock to stabilize the site and protect the Potomac River.”
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency Feb. 18 and requested that Trump provide federal resources, days after Trump chided Democratic leaders in Maryland, Washington and Virginia for not requesting help, the report said. It said Trump approved the emergency assistance quickly to help the city address the emergency.
Betsy Nicholas, president of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, said the situation “could have been so much worse given the vulnerability of our drinking water system” in the District of Columbia, Montgomery County and Virginia’s Arlington County, according to the report.
Nicholas said the incident highlights the need for ecological assessments and remediation efforts, including natural solutions such as freshwater mussels and native aquatic plants. She added that “We need assurances that this isn’t going to happen again, that there’s going to be full inspection of the entire remaining system,” the report said.
DC Water said it is holding a series of meetings with the public to discuss updates on the repair and environmental rehabilitation, including meetings next week in Bethesda, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia.