US EditionDC to step up its bacteria tests in Potomac River, more than a month after sewage spill
D.C. will conduct daily E. coli tests at six river sites after over 240 million gallons of sewage spilled, with recent tests showing bacteria levels returned to normal.
- Beginning Monday, the D.C. Department of Health will begin daily E. coli testing in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, scaling up from weekly tests to provide more community information.
- After the Potomac Interceptor sewage line collapsed on January 19, 2026, over 240 million gallons of sewage spilled into the Potomac, prompting Maryland and Virginia advisories for safety.
- DOEE will begin testing at three Potomac, two Anacostia and one Washington Channel site while the EPA provides lab space and staff, and D.C. Water continues daily Potomac testing begun in January.
- D.C. plans to lift its recreational advisory Monday and welcome residents and recreational users back, while Maryland officials and Virginia officials will keep their advisories in effect; officials said drinking water quality remains unaffected.
- Authorities will post results within 48 hours and plan daily testing through at least the early part of the summer while reviewing data over a six to eight weeks period as local fishers and businesses face pressures with the season starting next week, officials said.
8 Articles
8 Articles
DC to step up its bacteria tests in Potomac River, more than a month after sewage spill
D.C. will begin daily testing of the Potomac River for bacteria, following last month’s major sewage spill caused by a ruptured sewage line. With support from the EPA, officials plan to expand monitoring and posting results within 48 hours.
Maybe Trump got it right in his SOTU when he called the Democrats ‘crazy’: Letter to the Editor
Recently, the historic Potomac River suffered a catastrophic disaster as the result of a sewer line break spilling millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river. President Donald Trump immediately ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use all their resources to combat the problem and direct the clean-up. The problem: Trump says the partial government shutdown is impeding FEMA response, and that Democrats are to blame for h…
Taking a cue from Trump, Fox politicizes the massive Potomac sewage spill
After reports came out that a collapsed sewer line dumped millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River, Fox News took a cue from President Donald Trump and politicized the environmental disaster. Fox personalities began chastising environmentalist groups for their supposedly insufficient outrage about the spill; repeating Trump’s dubious claim that the disaster is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s fault; and criticizing the blame game among loca…
Sewage spill update: DC to begin daily testing, lift public safety warning
Up the Potomac river, Maryland crews are making steady progress repairing the underground pipe responsible for the sewage spill. Meanwhile, further downstream in D.C., the Bowser administration is preparing to begin daily water testing along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. Testing will begin on Monday. “We are planning for six to eight weeks after that starts. And that will give us a more concrete and substantial view of our own area. So that …
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