The Department of Justice and the state of Maryland have filed lawsuits against the District and its water/sewage utility over a January pipe rupture that released millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River.
The DOJ’s complaint said DC Water violated the Clean Water Act when the aging Potomac Interceptor pipe cracked open and flooded the river with disease-carrying bacteria.
“DC Water’s failure to maintain the Potomac Interceptor resulted in raw sewage flowing into the Potomac River and surrounding environment, posing a direct threat to public health,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson said in a statement.
The January incident created an ecological disaster that shut down recreational activities on the Potomac for two months and forced a massive cleanup of the river.
It also ignited a political brouhaha about who was responsible for the pipe break, with President Trump pointing the finger at the D.C. area’s Democrat-heavy leadership.
The Potomac was recently named the nation’s most endangered river, in large part because of the sewage spill — which is thought to be one of the largest in U.S. history.
