Trump approves emergency declaration over massive Washington, DC, sewage spill
Maegan Vazquez
Washington: President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for the District of Columbia that allows federal agencies to provide disaster assistance to combat a massive sewage spill in the Potomac River.
The spill began in mid-January, when a portion of a major DC Water sewer pipeline called the Potomac Interceptor collapsed, filling the Potomac River with approximately 886 megaquarts of wastewater. The sewer line carries approximately 227 megaquarts of wastewater per day from the Virginia and Maryland suburbs to D.C. for treatment. The cause of the leak is being investigated.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will lead the federal response to the spill, according to a news release from the agency. EPA is coordinating with DC Water to ensure that precautions are taken “to protect public health and prevent additional flooding until the pipe is repaired and the Potomac Interceptor is fully functional again.” Repairs are expected to be completed in mid-March, before events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States begin in the region.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will also “deploy a team to support incident management” and “work directly with local officials and federal partners to coordinate federal resources,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s social media post said.
FEMA said the aid will be directed to D.C. and to areas for which the district has responsibility in Maryland and Virginia.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency on Wednesday (Washington time) and requested federal assistance with cleanup. He also requested a presidential disaster declaration and asked the federal government to reimburse the D.C. government and DC Water for costs related to the spill and recovery efforts.
DC Water general manager David Gadis estimated repairs and improvements would cost US$20 million ($28 million).
Trump, who has previously criticized Bowser and other Democratic elected officials in the district for mishandling the spill, signaled Thursday that the federal government would assist in the recovery.
Bowser faced questions about the timing of the emergency declaration, which came a month after the leak began. He said that he has taken partial precautions recently. There have been signals from the Trump administration that federal officials might support the request, and it has suggested from the beginning that the response to the leak was urgent.
In a Truth Social post last week that said he would respond to Bowser’s request for help, Trump continued to attack Democratic governors Wes Moore (Maryland) and Abigail Spanberger (Virginia).
“The governors of Virginia and Maryland must act quickly,” he wrote. “If they can’t do the job, all they have to do is call, be polite and respectful, and the federal government will handle it and bill them for services rendered at a later date.”
Officials have advised against boating, fishing and touching the Potomac River since the spill, but D.C. officials said they hope to lift that guidance on March 2, subject to change based on water quality, as tests last week show the level of the leak. coli consistently hovers below safe recreational limits on the DC portion of the river.
There has been no sewage overflow into the river since February 8.
Officials with DC Water, the utility responsible for water and sewer in the area, said drinking water remains safe. But officials warned people and pets in the area to stay out of the water near the spill area and further downstream.
Washington Post
