WASHINGTON—A massive pipe that moves millions of gallons of sewage has ruptured and sent wastewater flowing into the Potomac River northwest of Washington, D.C., polluting it ahead of a major winter storm that has repair crews scrambling.
DC Water, which operates the sewer system, is hooking up pumps to divert sewage around the rupture and allow crews to make repairs. It has cautioned people to stay out of the area and to wash their skin if exposed.
The spill was caused by a 72-inch (183 centimeters) sewer pipe that collapsed late Monday, shooting sewage out of the ground and into the river. The sewer system is capable of handling 60 million gallons (230 million liters) of water each day, enough to fill about 90 Olympic-size swimming pools.
“Oh, my god, the smell is horrific,” said Dean Naujoks, the Potomac Riverkeeper and part of an environmental nonprofit. “It’s such high concentrations of sewage that just grabbing a sample is a public health risk.”
Associated Press video from the scene showed signs posted near the river that read “DANGER” and “Raw Sewage” and warned people not to enter the area. Naujoks and another man donned protective gloves to take samples of water from the river to test for E. coli and other bacteria. Small bits of debris could be seen floating in some of the sample bottles.
The spill occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland, along Clara Barton Parkway, which hugs the northern edge of the Potomac River near Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park.
Crews are removing lock gates on the C & O Canal. Pumps will be installed upstream to move sewage into the canal and then rerouted downstream of the rupture back into the sewer system, according to DC Water.
The spill does not impact drinking water, which is a separate system, DC Water said. Crews are expected to work through the weekend even with the forecast of bad winter storms.
Naujoks said the spill is happening at time when the river is low. He went out to look at it Wednesday and was “kind of stunned.”
“Sewage is just bubbling up like a small geyser, maybe 2, 3 feet into the air,” he said. “Sewage water is running in every direction.”
