Potomac sewage spill points to a growing threat around the U.S. : NPR

Water samples are taken from the Potomac River in Maryland in January. A massive pipe carrying millions of gallons of sewage ruptured and sent sewage flowing into the Potomac River northwest of Washington, DC.

Nathan Ellgren/AP

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Nathan Ellgren/AP

In January, part of a decades-old sewer pipe in Maryland collapsed near the Potomac River. Over the next few days, the broken pipe spilled more than 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac, near Washington, DC.

Since then, the utility that manages the pipe, DC Water, has set up a system of pumps and a steel bulkhead to divert wastewater around the broken section of the pipe so crews can begin repairs. The region’s drinking water has not been contaminated, but scientists and environmental advocates say the damage could still be severe in a watershed that extends to the Chesapeake Bay.

“There are a ton of harmful substances in raw sewage. It’s not just waste and bacteria, but all kinds of pharmaceuticals that end up in the pipes. There are different chemicals that people dump down the sink or down the drain,” says Gary Belan, senior director of the drinking water program at American Rivers, an advocacy group. “A lot of these substances can sink to the bottom of the river, impact the reproduction of fish and birds, kill many insects and contaminate the soil.”

The Potomac accident is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, and it highlights a chronic problem facing communities across the United States, says Gussie Maguire, a Maryland scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Sewage systems, especially those that handle a combination of wastewater and stormwater, often overflow during heavy rains. The problem is exacerbated by population growth which puts strain on aging infrastructure. Climate change is also a factor, Maguire says, because as temperatures rise, storms dump more rain in shorter periods, overwhelming sewer and stormwater systems.

“Intensity is a very important part of it,” Maguire says, adding: “It’s absolutely a climate problem that’s going to continue to get worse.”

It’s unclear what exactly caused the sewer pipe collapse in Maryland. DC Water said it discovered signs of corrosion when inspecting the 1960s-era pipe about a decade ago and planned to rehabilitate the damaged sections.

A worker walks past part of a cofferdam being constructed to stop the flow of raw sewage into the Potomac River after a massive sewer pipe rupture in Maryland in January.

Cliff Owen/AP

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Cliff Owen/AP

It is also too early to know what the real impacts will be. DC Water reported high bacteria levels E.coli at the location of the overflow. Bacteria doesn’t thrive in cold water, but as temperatures warm this summer, the spill could produce algae blooms in the river that kill fish, says Mike Gerel, science director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Virginia.

The spill could also have lasting consequences for riverside communities, as well as swimmers and boaters who use the river, says Potomac Riverkeeper and conservationist Dean Naujoks.

“What are we going to do to bring people back and reassure them that the river is safe again?” he asks.

“Once you dump 243 million gallons of raw sewage into a river, any river, you don’t get it back,” Naujoks adds, saying the waste will eventually be washed downstream to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists and environmental advocates have spent decades trying to reduce the amount of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, which stretches 200 miles along the mid-Atlantic coast and is bordered by Maryland and Virginia.

“It’s not just a blow to the Potomac River,” Naujoks says, “but a blow to the Chesapeake Bay.”

On Wednesday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser requested federal disaster aid, including full reimbursement from DC Water. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in an emailed statement that it “remains ready to support our partners on the ground and is committed to continued coordination to ensure the response is carried out as quickly as possible.”

President Trump tried to blame local Democratic leaders for the oil spill. However, DC Water is overseen by the EPA.

“The ultimate authority that really needs to be aggressive in addressing this problem is the Environmental Protection Agency,” says Gerel, science director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Virginia.

DC Water CEO David Gadis said in a public letter this month that the incident “highlighted a broader reality facing utilities across the country: Much of the infrastructure that protects our waterways was built decades ago, well ahead of today’s environmental standards, population growth and climate pressures.”

The solution is to invest more money to modernize the country’s infrastructure, Gerel says. “I like bridges, I like safe roads,” he says, “but I also like the unsexy pipes that are underground. We have to fix them.”