US capital Washington under fire over massive sewage leak

WASHINGTON - A non-profit organisation says the authorities in US capital Washington have failed to properly warn the public about a massive sewage leak into the Potomac River, thought to be among the largest such spills in the nation’s history.

A 1.8m-wide rupture in an ageing line on Jan 19 released 151 million litres of raw effluent until Jan 24, when DC Water, the city’s water utility, activated a bypass that channelled the flow through a canal and back into another section of the line.

Overflow is still entering the river, albeit at a reduced rate, as workers try to plug the gap – efforts that have been hampered by sub-zero temperatures and

one of the worst snowstorms in years

, which has yet to be fully cleared days after it passed.

Mr Dean Naujoks from the non-profit Potomac River Keeper Network said that while it was clear that the authorities were doing their best to contain the spill, they had failed to adequately convey public health risks to the public.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of sewage spills, but this is definitely the largest I’ve ever dealt with,” he told AFP, adding that his organisation estimated that 1.1 billion litres had now entered the river.

That figure is equivalent to around 450 Olympic-size swimming pools and higher than a reported 871 million litre spill along the US-Mexico border in 2017.

Sampling by the group found levels of E. coli bacteria at 12,000 times higher than limits set by the authorities for human contact, said Mr Naujoks, who added that he returned to the rupture site again on Jan 28 to test for other contaminants.

E. coli is a type of bacteria that resides in mammal guts and is considered a proxy indicator for water quality and pollution levels.

“It’s really concerning and yet, we’re the only ones doing the sampling,” Mr Naujoks added.

Public health agencies typically issue advisories in summer, when people are more likely to engage in recreational activities in the water, including paddling and fishing. So far, the state of Maryland has activated a shellfish consumption advisory, but the District of Columbia has not taken similar steps.

The Potomac, which flows along Washington’s western edge and past its monuments, is both the capital’s defining waterway and a major source of drinking water for the region.

The rupture occurred at Lock 10, just upstream of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in neighbouring Virginia, creating a foul stench in the surrounding area.

DC Water says there is no impact on drinking water because the Washington Aqueduct’s main intake points are upstream of the break.

In an e-mail to AFP, DC Water spokeswoman Sherri Lewis said: “After the overflow is fully contained and the pipe repaired, work will begin to assess the areas where the overflow occurred”, adding that the work will be carried out with relevant partner agencies.

She added that the ruptured line was built in the 1960s and that DC Water had scheduled the section for remediation under a US$625 million (S$789 million) plan, but work had not yet begun. AFP