Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday declared a public emergency regarding the massive discharge of raw sewage into the Potomac River after a section of sewer line collapsed in January.
She asked President Donald Trump, in a separate letter, to declare a major disaster and that the federal government reimburse the District of Columbia for “emergency response, repair and remediation costs” so they are not borne its taxpayers.
“It is critical to the welfare of residents and visitors alike that we address the spill, and the consequences of the diversion in the most organized and expeditious manner possible; that we utilize any federal resources available,” Bowser wrote in the order.
Trump earlier this week pledged assistance but at the same time blamed Democrats for an environmental “calamity,” singling out Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, who, like Bowser, is a Democrat.
The president accused local leaders of incompetence in managing waste management systems and said state and local authorities had failed to request emergency help. Now, he added, the federal government “has no choice but to step in.”
Part of the 72-inch sewer line known as the Potomac Interceptor, managed by the District’s Water and Sewer Authority, failed in Maryland’s Montgomery County on Jan. 19. Over the next several days, Bowser said in the order, some 250 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed into the Potomac.
On Jan. 24, a bypass system was built that “largely contained the escaped wastewater” by pumping it first into part of the C&O Canal, then back into the Potomac Interceptor, according to the mayor’s order.
Moore on Wednesday rejected a Trump social media post about the spill as “typically unhinged.”
He said that the federal government has been responsible for the Interceptor “for the past century” and that the pipe that collapsed was on federal land. “The Trump-Vance administration has failed to act,” the governor added.
The White House did not immediately respond on Wednesday night to a request for comment on Bowser’s request.
“The District economy depends heavily on tourism, and tourists come from around the world to spring events along the Potomac, such as our Cherry Blossom Festival,” Bowser wrote in her order. “Long term effects to the water table and plants that depend on it are unknown.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.