D.C.’s Sewage Enters The National Stage
Image courtesy of BBC
Patrick D. Lewis
While comparisons of politics and public administration in the country in general to human waste isn’t uncommon, actual sewage has now made its way into discussions at the highest levels of government.
President Donald J. Trump on Monday told reporters at a presser aboard Air Force One, “I don’t like the job that Wes Moore’s doing…. With the pipes, and the Potomac, he’s not doing the job.”
Trump was presumably referring to what is now the largest wastewater spill in U.S. history. The fiasco began on January 19, when a sewage pipe along the Potomac River in Montgomery County, M.D., suffered a structural failure, leading to the spillage of over 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. The pipe, which is owned by D.C. Water, has yet to be repaired, although crews are working on redirecting the sewage into fewer waterways and canals.
Trump drew fire from supporters of Wes Moore, the Governor of Maryland, after the remarks because the pipe is owned and operated by D.C. Water, not any entity in Maryland. Similarly, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem received blowback after saying in a post to X, “Democrats in Congress have shut down FEMA funding—leaving our hard-working employees to work without pay—yet FEMA is now stepping in to coordinate cleanup of one of the largest raw sewage spills in U.S. history.
“Thanks to gross mismanagement by Maryland’s Democrat leaders, hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage has reportedly been dumped into the Potomac River—flowing straight through our nation’s capital and endangering millions of people, wildlife, and the entire DC region’s water supply.”
Critics were quick to point out that Noem’s claim that the water supply for the city was endangered is false because the Potomac River water used for drinking is taken directly from the river further north, before the break in the pipe. Officials have confirmed that the drinking water has not been impacted.
The political fighting, though, has begun to overshadow the larger issues. The spill could lead to the worst ecological disaster in the DC area in decades. Researchers from the University of Maryland and DC Water have confirmed that high levels of E. Coli and other dangerous bacteria are present in the river, and health authorities in Virginia have already issued an advisory encouraging citizens to stay away from the impacted areas of the river.
Four pumps are being used to move the water away from the river’s course. There is no firm timeline as to how long repairs will take to be completed. Trump, in his remarks, said he plans to use federal resources to assist in the response.
