Potomac River sewage crisis draws concern about unknown health effects

Nearly four months after the Potomac Interceptor sewage pipe burst in Montgomery County, Maryland, and 200 million gallons of untreated sewage surged into the Potomac River, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the River has been restored to pre-collapse conditions.

“From the moment President Trump received the formal request for federal assistance, he instantly deployed his administration to do everything in our power to help resolve this sewage crisis,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a May 6 press release. “EPA answered the call, and today I’m proud to announce that our remediation work is complete months ahead of schedule, in plenty of time for America 250 celebrations.”

But local conservation groups disagree with the EPA’s assertion, and some Washington Metropolitan region (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) residents are skeptical about the quality of water flowing from their faucets.

Major water source for millions

According to D.C. Water, the Interceptor, which is a sewer sanitary system, carries “60 million gallons of wastewater daily from areas near Dulles Airport in Virgina to the Potomac Pumping Station in Washington, D.C.,” before flowing to a wastewater treatment plant and then into the Potomac River.

Before bursting, D.C. Water, who owns, administers, and maintains the 54-mile six-foot wide pipe, allocated $625 million for Interceptor repairs over the next 10 years. But before those upgrades could start, boulders got lodged into the aging pipe, leading to its collapse and subsequent sustained elevated levels of E. coli bacteria several weeks after the spill.

Uncertainty about safety

A bypass was put in place to divert the sewage-polluted water. But the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and other sources say as many as 300 gallons of wastewater and possibly more flowed into the Potomac River, calling for attention to public health concerns and potential long-term effects.

The Potomac River provides water for millions of people across D.C., Maryland, and parts of Northern Virginia, and although the river is the primary drinking water source for D.C. residents, D.C. Water stated the spill did not affect D.C. drinking water.

However, D.C. residents like Keiana Green-Page are not sure about that guidance, partly because of information she has not received.

“I am skeptical about how concerned to be about [about the water],” said Green-Page, a public relations business owner who lives in the Southwest area of D.C. “I have not seen a boiled water advisory, but I drink bottled water because tap water in D.C. is so disgusting. But in terms of the water on my skin, I have not seen any changes in my skin.”

Green-Page said she has moderate concern but wants more information about the status of the spill.

“I want to know how frequently they are testing the water and what they are doing to resolve the original [infrastructure] issue. And I haven’t heard anything about the soil or air quality or potential health effects, either,” Green-Page said.

Ongoing discovery

Groups like the Potomac Conservancy are stressing the point about potential health risks and demanding accountability.

“Waving a ‘mission accomplished’ banner is not only premature, it also sends the wrong signal to the public that the Potomac is in the clear when the cleanup phase is still ongoing. We are encouraged by the positive trends in the water quality data testing, but we have an obligation to our river and our communities to ensure a complete restoration effort,” from a press release the Conservancy issued in response to the EPA’s announcement of completion.

The Conservancy as well as the Potomac Riverkeeper Network argue levels of E. coli in sample sites and unresolved infrastructure issues threaten public health and that the cleanup is far from finished.

Dean Naujoks, the Potomac Riverkeeper, said the levels of E. coli and other bacteria warrant updates about health threats.

“This discovery even more urgently requires a public health advisory from DC and Maryland officials – they must inform the residents about the grave risks to public health from this sewage spill,” Naujoks said in statements and interviews.

Despite misalignment about the finality of the spill cleanup, scientists, environmental advocates, and researchers agree that the spill’s long-term effects will not be known for years to come.