Large Sewage Spill Has Polluted Potomac River with E. coli

A sewage spill into the Potomac River near Washington, DC, caused by a broken pipe, has polluted the body of water with levels of E. coli “nearly 12,000 times what authorities limit for human contact,” authorities said.

Authorities explained that a “broken interceptor pipe to the Potomac River near Lock 10” is to blame for almost 300 million gallons of contamination that has entered the river since the 72-inch broken pipe was discovered last week.

“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,” NBC reported.

Lockhouse 10 is a historic canal lock and restored lockkeeper’s house along the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, which managed boat traffic on the 19th century canal and is now preserved as a quiet historic site about five miles from downtown Washington, DC.

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) found that the contaminated water was worse than initially expected.

Fox News reported:

The results showed elevated levels of E. coli bacteria, a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of people and animals that are usually harmless but can cause diarrhea and more serious gastrointestinal illness when certain toxin-producing strains contaminate food or water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“These measurements of E. coli bacteria show contamination which is nearly 12,000 times what authorities limit for human contact,” PKRN President Betsy Nicholas said.

“So far, almost 300 million gallons have entered the Potomac River, and the long-term impact cannot be overstated. We measured against standards established by Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality and Maryland’s Department of the Environment,” she added. “We were able to get this information thanks to real-time testing conducted Friday by Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper, and Evan Quinter, PRKN volunteer coordinator.”

“We sampled the sewage discharging from the broken interceptor pipe to the Potomac River near Lock 10 and the result was 4,884,000 MPN – Most Probable Number for E. coli – which is 11,900 times higher than the 410 MPN limit for safe human contact,” Naujoks said.

Naujoks blamed “infrastructure failure” for the disaster, arguing that the interceptor pipe by the river should have been better maintained.

“D.C. Water needs to come up with a better plan than using a 100-year-old dry canal ditch to capture and contain future sewage releases instead of discharging hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage to the river. One of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history could have been avoided,” Naujoks remarked.