Maryland, Justice Department Sue DC Water Over Potomac Sewage Spill
The lawsuits seek penalties and cleanup costs after a ruptured sewer pipe sent 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
- On Monday, the Justice Department and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed separate lawsuits against D.C. Water over the January 19, 2026, collapse of the 72-inch Potomac Interceptor that spilled roughly 244 million gallons of raw sewage.
- Lawsuits allege D.C. Water knew the "over half-century-old" pipe showed corrosion but delayed capital improvements since 2019 due to federal environmental reviews by the National Park Service, which repeatedly required revised reconstruction plans.
- Maryland seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day for violations of state water pollution laws, while the Justice Department's complaint cites D.C. Water's "failure" to maintain sewer infrastructure under the Clean Water Act.
- In February, President Donald Trump blamed Maryland Governor Wes Moore for the "Ecological Disaster," while Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency to secure federal assistance for containing the overflow within 21 days.
- D.C. Water is accelerating rehabilitation of more than 2,700 linear feet of pipeline, positioning the case as a potential enforcement precedent for national wastewater system oversight and accountability standards.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Feds and Maryland sue DC Water over Potomac River sewage spill
The federal government and Maryland filed lawsuits against DC Water three months after a massive pipeline rupture released billions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River. The rupture of the sewage pipeline on Jan. 19 sent more than 240 million gallons of sewage into the Potomac River. While a temporary bypass stopped further contamination into the river, more than...
DOJ, EPA file complaint over Potomac River spill
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday filed a civil complaint against the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) over the sewage spill into the Potomac River, which was named the largest wastewater spill in U.S. history. The collapse of the Potomac Interceptor along the Clara…
Maryland sues DC Water for contaminating Potomac River with January sewage spill
Maryland's Attorney General and the Department of the Environment (MDE) are suing a Washington, D.C. water utility company over the Potomac River sewage spill that they claim contaminated the river.
Maryland Files Suit for Cleanup Costs from Historic Sewer Rupture
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and the Maryland Department of the Environment filed a civil lawsuit Monday against the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, known as DC Water, seeking penalties and damages for environmental harm from a major sewage spill into the Potomac River. The complaint, filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, alleges the utility knew of corrosion in an aging sewer line yet failed to address risks in…
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