Sewer Line Returns to Service After Major Potomac Spill

A major sewer line that failed in January, sending millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River, returned to service on Saturday afternoon. DC Water, which operates Washington's water and sewage systems, said tests in the morning indicated that the Potomac Interceptor is safe to use again, WRC reports. Crews then removed an emergency bulkhead that had been blocking sewage from the damaged section and shut off temporary pumps that had diverted wastewater into the C&O Canal. The pipe collapsed on Jan. 19, ultimately releasing more than 234 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac.

Issues addressed included a clog caused by non-flushable wipes during the Super Bowl period. Although structural repair is finished, officials say environmental remediation is only beginning. Cleanup along the riverbanks will be done largely by hand and is expected to last into the summer. DC Water has said the effort does not include treatment for contamination farther downstream in Maryland or the District of Columbia. A class-action lawsuit was filed March 6 in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, accusing DC Water with negligence, and advocates and customers want to make sure the crisis doesn't repeat. DC Water is holding meetings with the public to discuss repairs and environmental rehabilitation, per the AP.