So There's 300 Million Gallons of Poop Water in the Potomac River. Now What? - Washingtonian

"That's when a 72-inch section of the Potomac Interceptor pipe, which carries wastewater from Fairfax and Loudoun counties to the Blue Plains Advanced Water Treatment Plant in Southwest DC, collapsed and began spewing raw sewage into the river-as much as 40 million gallons a day. Fortunately, Thursday marked the first day that no sewer overflow journeyed out of the broken pipe segment and into the waterways, which overseeing agency DC Water says was a major step in the containment process."

"Still, an estimated 300 million gallons of feces-infested water had already entered the Potomac as of Tuesday, according to a by the nonprofit Potomac Riverkeeper Network. The group has also been performing independent testing of river water, which so far has revealed dangerously high E. coli levels at sites throughout the region-including contamination roughly 12,000 times the safe limit for human contact just downstream of the break near Cabin John. Four miles downstream of the leak, at Fletchers Cove in DC, riverkeepers measured E.coli levels that were still 60 times higher than what's considered safe."

""We are aware of testing done by the Potomac Riverkeeper that found high levels of bacteria in the waterway near the spill, as would be expected," the Maryland Department of the Environment told Washingtonian in a statement Friday. "DC Water has indicated that it will do water testing in connection with its cleanup of the spill. We also plan to do water monitoring and will stay engaged in the long term to ensure that the spill and its environmental impacts are remediated.""

On January 19 a 72-inch section of the Potomac Interceptor pipe collapsed, releasing raw sewage into the Potomac and sending up to 40 million gallons a day into the river. By Tuesday an estimated 300 million gallons had entered the waterway. Independent testing by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network found E. coli contamination roughly 12,000 times safe limits near Cabin John and 60 times safe limits four miles downstream at Fletchers Cove. DC Water reported that Thursday marked the first day with no overflow from the broken segment, and the Maryland Department of the Environment plans ongoing monitoring and remediation. Local drinking water supplies are reported to be unaffected.

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