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Potomac River Ranks No. 1 on New List of ‘Most Endangered Rivers’
American Rivers said 1,200 proposed or planned data centers and a sewage spill are straining water quality and supply across the watershed.
- On Tuesday, American Rivers ranked the Potomac River as the nation's most endangered river for 2026, citing a historic sewage spill and rapid expansion of water-intensive data centers threatening the watershed.
- Following the failure of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line in January 2026, roughly 200 to 300 million gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into the river, causing bacteria levels to spike to nearly 12,000 times the safe recreational limit.
- Known as 'Data Center Alley,' the region hosts more than 300 data centers, with projections suggesting as many as 1,000 facilities could occupy nearly 20,000 acres in coming years, threatening water availability and quality.
- Potomac Riverkeeper Network president Betsy Nicholas called the collapse a "wake-up call," urging lawmakers to require investigations into data center water use and toxins before approvals cause irreparable harm.
- Despite the ranking, water quality sampling shows E. coli levels have been within safe recreational limits for two months; ongoing sewer upgrades could eliminate more than 90% of sewage overflows by 2030.
18 Articles
18 Articles
According to a new classification developed by the non-profit organization American Rivers, the Potomac River is the most threatened river in the country. The organization cited two factors in its decision: the historic waste water spill in January, which spilled hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated waste water into the river, and the growing presence of data centers in the Washington D.C. area, which threaten water availability and qual…
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Maryland MattersPotomac River ranks No. 1 on new list of ‘Most Endangered Rivers’
The Potomac River is the most endangered river in the country, according to a new ranking done by the nonprofit American Rivers. The organization cited two factors in its decision: January’s historic sewage spill that sent hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into the river, and the expanding footprint of data centers in the D.C. area that threaten water availability and quality, according to American Rivers. “We’ve made a lot o…
Sewage Spill and Data Centers Threaten Potomac
American Rivers has named the Potomac River the most endangered river in the United States for 2026 because of a major sewage spill earlier this year and the rapid growth of water-intensive data centers in the watershed. The announcement came April 14, 2026, in Washington, DC. Betsy Nicholas, president of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, highlighted the combined threats to water quality and availability in the river known as the Nation’s River. …
The Potomac has always carried large names. "The River of the Nation." Washington's mirror. The liquid border between two states and a capital. But in 2026, the name given to it is another: the most threatened river in the United States.And it is not an honorary title.American Rivers declares it number one in dangerThe American Rivers organization published its annual report and placed the Potomac at the top of its list of rivers in danger by 20…
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