A federal complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeks financial penalties against Washington, D.C., and DC Water over a Potomac River sewage leak that began when a major sewer pipeline collapsed in January. The Justice Department said the case was brought in federal court and tied to a spill that discharged raw sewage into the Potomac River just north of Washington in Maryland’s Montgomery County.
At the center of the complaint is the Potomac Interceptor, a 72-inch pipeline described in the filing as having been installed in the 1960s. The Justice Department said the pipe collapsed on Jan. 19, shooting sewage from the ground into the river, and that the leak spilled 244 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
The Justice Department said the complaint alleges DC Water failed to properly operate and maintain its sewer system in a way intended to keep untreated sewage out of the Potomac River and tributaries, as well as other areas with a risk of human contact. In a statement, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson said the failure to maintain the Potomac Interceptor resulted in raw sewage flowing into the Potomac and the surrounding environment and “posing a direct risk to public health.”
Gustafson said the case reflects a broader infrastructure challenge, arguing that “As cities grow and infrastructure ages, cities must invest in their wastewater system to prevent such catastrophes.” The complaint, according to the Justice Department filing, points to years of deterioration, including “at least eight years of DC Water knowing about severe corrosion requiring immediate repair,” before a “catastrophically failed” section of the interceptor.
The Justice Department said it filed the complaint Monday as one of two actions involving DC Water. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a separate lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court seeking civil penalties and damages for costs tied to contamination of the river.
State and local officials have also linked the spill to emergency response and longer-term infrastructure work. Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain, in a statement, said the utility must take full responsibility for damage caused and take immediate and lasting action to prevent future spills.
DC Water said it was “fully committed to the long-term rehabilitation” of the Potomac Interceptor. The utility said its top priority was containing overflow and repairing the damaged portion of the pipe, stating that it stopped “all discharges to the Potomac River within 21 days,” completed repairs of the affected segment in 55 days, and then began accelerating rehabilitation of more than 2,700 linear feet of pipeline that had been scheduled for improvement. DC Water said both lawsuits were “under review.”
The leak also became a political dispute as officials traded blame over response and infrastructure readiness. The AP reported that President Donald Trump blamed local Democratic leaders, focusing on Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and that Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency in February and asked for federal help. The federal emergency declaration was issued days later, according to the report, and DC Water’s pipe was returned to operation last month after emergency repairs were completed.
While the leak is described as largely under control, officials said it could take months to fully repair the pipe. The AP report said DC Water, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, has been working to repair the leak and monitor its impact on the river.