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Repair of ruptured sewage pipe in DC could take 6 weeks
Repairs to the Potomac Interceptor sewer pipe are delayed by a massive rock blockage, extending restoration to four to six weeks amid ongoing sewage overflows and health advisories.
- Three weeks ago a Potomac Interceptor collapse released hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River, and DC Water said repairs could take over a month.
- Workers found a massive rock dam last week blocking the damaged sewer line, while an onslaught of non-disposable wipes clogged multiple pumps on Sunday, reducing capacity.
- Independent sampling at nine sites with University of Maryland researchers found E. coli more than 4,200 times the safe limit and detected Staph aureus and MRSA, while DC Water posted that it identified `human error` in some initial data.
- Maryland Department of the Environment said Montgomery, Prince George's, and Charles counties issued health advisories and DC Water urges avoiding affected rivers and following warnings until bacteria levels are safe.
- Officials warn repairs to remove rock blockages will continue for weeks, with more leaks possible, while DC Water tests five new bypass pumps and weekly testing with local and federal partners expands.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Weeks After Sewer Line Break, There Is Still a Lot of Crap in the Potomac River
Three weeks ago, a collapse of the Potomac Interceptor pipe launched hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River, contaminating waterways and thrusting the concept of "poop water" into local consciousness. Though it seemed for a moment that the spill was largely contained, DC Water announced last week that workers discovered
Non-disposable wipes clog pumps, cause more sewer overflow into Potomac
A major blockage caused an estimated 600,000 gallons of additional sewage to spill into the Potomac River over the weekend, complicating the ongoing response to a massive pipe collapse that occurred in January.
DC Water says E. coli rate from Potomac spill 100 times higher than reported
Washington, D.C.‘s Water and Sewer Authority significantly miscalculated the level of E. coli coming from a sewer line channel on Friday after a late January pipe collapse caused increased levels of the bacteria in the Potomac River. On Friday, Feb. 6, DC Water initially reported levels of E. coli at 2,420 MPN/100mL, then changed it to the actual level of E. coli present, 242,000 MPN/100mL, which is 9,900% higher than the initial report. The num…
Non-disposable wipes cause another sewage spill into the Potomac
After the sewage spill in the Potomac River a few weeks ago, DC Water began pumping the contaminated water and diverting it to the C&O Canal, but on Sunday, another spill released 600,000 more gallons of sewage into the river. Sunday’s spill was caused by a massive clog of non‑disposable wipes flushed down the toilet, putting two of the pumps used to divert sewage out of commission, DC Water said. At the same time, right about the time of the Su…
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