DOJ, EPA file complaint over Potomac River spill

Source: The Hill

04/21/26 1:27 PM ET


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 Barton Parkway on Jan. 19 resulted in the release of more than 240 million gallons of sewage. The sewer line serves Washington, D.C., Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia.

The complaint accused DC Water of violating the Clean War Act and failing to operate and maintain its sewer system “in a manner that keeps untreated sewage out of the Potomac River and its tributaries, and other areas with risk of human contact,” the DOJ said in a statement. The department will seek financial penalties, sewer assessment and rehabilitation projects, and pollutant mitigation work to undo the spill’s damage.

“DC Water’s failure to maintain the Potomac Interceptor resulted in raw sewage flowing into the Potomac River and the surrounding environment, posing a direct risk to public health,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Natural Resources Division, Adam Gustafson said in the statement. “This complaint seeks to secure DC Water’s commitment to properly maintain its foundational sewage infrastructure,” Gustafson added. DC Water on Monday said it was “fully committed to the long-term rehabilitation of the Potomac Interceptor.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5841197-dc-water-lawsuit-potomac/