DC Water completes Potomac River sewage spill repairs after Trump aid

Repairs were completed following the historic Potomac River sewage spill in Washington, D.C., less than a month after President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration that allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist.

“Emergency repairs to the Potomac Interceptor are complete,” DC Water said Saturday. “Full flow has been restored and the C&O Canal has been fully drained as part of site restoration. Since January 19, crews have worked around the clock to stabilize the site and protect the Potomac River.”

The statement came after a sewer line interceptor ruptured Jan. 19, releasing more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency over the Potomac sewage spill and requested federal help with the cleanup.

Trump said he fears the Potomac River will still stink when America250 celebrations begin this summer, according to the White House.

SEWAGE SPILL CAUSES E COLI OUTBREAK IN POTOMAC RIVER NEAR DC

Repairs were completed following the historic Potomac River sewage spill in Washington, D.C., less than a month after President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration that allowed FEMA to assist. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, file)

The president had directed his anger at Maryland’s Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and other local leaders in Virginia and Washington, D.C., on the issue, saying incompetence had led to disaster.

Moore and his office, however, pushed back against Trump’s claims, saying the federal government was monitoring the sewer service.

“This is a pipeline located in Washington, D.C., on federal land,” Moore told Fox News Digital last month. “Maryland had nothing to do with it. In fact, the only thing Maryland did was when we saw a neighbor who was in need. That’s why I ordered the people, our people, to go support them, and that’s what we did last month.”

Raw sewage flows Saturday to an interceptor on the banks of the Potomac River in Cabin John, Maryland. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

“We basically did the federal government’s job because it’s the federal government’s job to be able to protect the Potomac interconnection because it’s federal land,” Moore said. “For the president to now come and attack me on this point, I find it… absurd.”

The sewer lines are managed by DC Water, an independent utility based in the District of Columbia.

A class action lawsuit was filed by a Virginia resident on March 6, accusing DC Water of negligence.

FEMA External Affairs Officer Noel Boxer inspects the flow of raw sewage, after a valve was raised to resume flow along the Potomac River on Saturday. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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The plaintiff, Nicholas Lailas, who is a boater, seeks compensation for people “whose property interests and use and enjoyment of the Potomac River… have been impaired by defendant’s conduct,” the lawsuit states.

He is seeking unspecified damages.

Stephen Sorace and Jasmine Baehr of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.