Raw Sewage Floods Potomac After Massive Pipe Failure

DC Water CEO responds as contamination levels climb to 12,000 times the safe limit amidst the largest sewage spill in U.S. history.

Published February 16, 2026

Hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage have poured into the Potomac River since January, prompting D.C. Water’s CEO to issue an open letter as the crisis threatens to become one of the largest wastewater disasters in U.S. history.

In the letter, Gadis described how the cause of this spillage is due to the failure of a 72-inch diameter sewer main called the Potomac Interceptor. Since its failure on January 19th, 2026, official estimates are that 243 million gallons of wastewater have been released into the Potomac River. Environmental groups estimate up to 300 million gallons of wastewater have been released.

“Our immediate priorities have been containment, environmental monitoring, and stabilization – working closely with federal, state, and local partners to assess water quality, ecological impacts, and necessary remediation.” said D.C. Water CEO Gadis in his open letter to the community.

🚨President Trump says a “massive Ecological Disaster” is unfolding in the Potomac River and is directing federal authorities to step in immediately.

He’s blaming gross mismanagement at the state and local level. pic.twitter.com/f5wJXuAc86
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) February 16, 2026

In a press release,the Potomac Riverkeeper Network President Betsy Nicholas informed the public that environmental monitoring by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network has revealed that their measurement of E. coli bacteria has reached a contamination level that is 12,000 times higher than what is considered safe.

An additional press release showed that the emergency measure taken by D.C. Water had started reducing the disaster as the measurement of E. coli bacteria had fallen to approximately 2,700 times higher than what is considered safe. (RELATED: Virginia Senate Panel Takes Up Battery Storage Mandate Backed by Gov. Spanberger)

A new high-capacity bypass pump arrives tomorrow to help crews isolate the damaged pipe on the Potomac Interceptor so they can safely start rock removal. No overflow events reaching surface waters have been reported in the past 24 hours. 🔗 https://t.co/FrveCstHeg #DCWater pic.twitter.com/McwefuitT1
— DC Water (@dcwater) February 12, 2026

D.C. Water crews have been working around the clock since the Potomac Interceptor failure to reroute the wastewater as well as fully repair the damaged Potomac Interceptor. Six pumps have been installed to divert the wastewater to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. These pumps have rerouted over 40 million gallons of wastewater and according to an X post by D.C. Water the pumps are approaching total containment of the overflowing wastewater.

D.C. Water officials have also made it clear that wastewater and drinking water are two separate systems and there has been no impact to the quality of drinking water. Additionally, officials have projected that a full repair is likely to take several weeks. (RELATED: Jury Awards $2 Million in New York Malpractice Case Over Teen Double Mastectomy)