Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history

[mountaineer]

Spanberger cannot be bothered.

Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history
 by Tara Suter
The Hill (via MSN)
Feb. 12, 2026

A wastewater spill into the Potomac River that began last month now appears to be one of the largest in American history.

DC Water, a local water utility, said in a press release last week that part of a sewer system known as the Potomac Interceptor collapsed along the Clara Barton Parkway on Jan. 19. In that same release, the utility said it “estimates that approximately 243 million gallons of wastewater has overflowed from the collapse site.”

On Monday, DC Water said there had been a “significant overflow” Sunday amid a “high flow period,” with some bypass pumps not in service at the time.

Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a local environmental advocacy group, claimed in a Facebook post Wednesday that the sewage spilled had topped 300 million gallons. ...

Mark Segraves
@SegravesNBC4
Almost 4 weeks after sewage spill put hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into Potomac River, DC issues its strongest warning. “Residents and pets should not touch the Potomac River, or engage in any Potomac recreational activities including fishing”
@nbcwashington
8:47 AM · Feb 12, 2026

[mountaineer]

The Guv is busy "grilling" steaks (the same way Schmuck Schumer did: putting raw meat on a cold grill and pretending it's cooking).

https://twitter.com/NoVA_Campaigns/status/2022077614501093847

[PeteS in CA]

Deferred maintenance?

No secondary containment?

[catfish1957]

Mmmmmmm....

Chesapeake Bay  Crabs......   

[Smokin Joe]

That's tidewater. It will take a long time to flush that out past Cape Charles, and every tributary estuary from that spill to the Atlantic will have issues over fisheries and contact. I can only say I am glad I don't live down there any more. Prayers up for the family and friends who do.

[catfish1957]

That's tidewater. It will take a long time to flush that out past Cape Charles, and every tributary estuary from that spill to the Atlantic will have issues over fisheries and contact. I can only say I am glad I don't live down there any more. Prayers up for the family and friends who do.

Wow, then this could linger for years, much like the North Gulf of America seafood after the BP well leak.  That ditzy dumb blond guv, doesn't have a clue how much long term damage this has caused. 

This much sewage will have obvious E. Coli contam, but that much?  Other water born pathogens may be into play.  And add warmer weather?   

[DefiantMassRINO]

Dukakis let the same thing happen to Boston Harbor.  It's taken decades and billions of dollars to cleanup the Duke's mess.

[Wingnut]

Shitty story.

[Cyber Liberty]

Well, we always considered DeeCee to be a river of shit....

[BobfromWB]

The largest wastewater discharge in Milwaukee's history occurred during the historic 1,000-year flood event from August 9 to 13, 2025, when approximately 5.14 BILLION gallons of untreated wastewater dwarfing the Potomac spill.

[mountaineer]

Spencer Brown
@SpencerBrown
None of the "leaders" in Virginia (where the wastewater originates), Maryland (through which the pipeline runs) or D.C. (where the sewage is processed) took action to remedy the Potomac calamity.

Remember this when they inevitably lash out at Trump for doing something about it.
3:35 PM · Feb 16, 2026

[Hoodat]

Will they ban oyster harvesting again like they did with kepone back in the 70s?

[rustynail]

'Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history', that few have heard about. 

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/2022821927753277516

[Smokin Joe]

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/2022821927753277516

It's up to 300 million now. Problem is, the potomac and all tributaries below The Great Falls is tidewater. It won't just flush out, but works its way back and forth with the tides, too. Expect every fishery from the Tidal Basin to Cape Charles to be shut down for Fecal Coliform and other nasty bugs, and that includes the lower Chesapeake Bay, too.

$100 Billion because Washington DC can't keep its sh*t in a pipe.

[Wingnut]

It shit, is a fire suppressant.  The potamic will not catch on fire.  so there is that.

[rustynail]

President Donald Trump announced that the federal government will now oversee the repair of a destroyed sewer pipe that has sent 250 million gallons of sewage streaming into the Potomac River.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/02/16/trump-takes-over-potomac-river-disaster-after-democrat-mismanagement-n2671397

[Hoodat]

Deferred maintenance?

No secondary containment?

Here's your containment:



'Remnants of sewage' including toilet paper, left behind after wastewater pipe collapse
FEB 2026 - DC Water is facing new hurdles as crews continue emergency repairs on the massive sewer line that collapsed in January 2026, sending wastewater into the Potomac River. (7News)

[libertybele]

President Donald Trump announced that the federal government will now oversee the repair of a destroyed sewer pipe that has sent 250 million gallons of sewage streaming into the Potomac River.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/02/16/trump-takes-over-potomac-river-disaster-after-democrat-mismanagement-n2671397

250 million gallons of wastewater.  Unbelievable. 

The Potomac River is approximately 405 to 413 miles long, forming a, 14,700-square-mile watershed. It runs from Fairfax Stone, West Virginia, through the Appalachian Mountains and Mid-Atlantic region, serving as the border between Maryland/Washington D.C. and West Virginia/Virginia before draining into the Chesapeake Bay.

Lovely! /s

[Smokin Joe]

250 million gallons of wastewater.  Unbelievable. 

The Potomac River is approximately 405 to 413 miles long, forming a, 14,700-square-mile watershed. It runs from Fairfax Stone, West Virginia, through the Appalachian Mountains and Mid-Atlantic region, serving as the border between Maryland/Washington D.C. and West Virginia/Virginia before draining into the Chesapeake Bay.

Lovely! /s

100 billion dollars in fisheries polluted. That's a lot of livelihoods down the drain. Below Little Falls, D.C., the Potomac is a brackish water tidal estuary.

[BobfromWB]

250 million gallons of wastewater.  Unbelievable. 

The Milwaukee spill dwarfed this Potomac dump by orders of magnitude at 5.14 BILLION gallons.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/Milajoy/status/2023582455697952910

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2023830179299422640

[Smokin Joe]

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2023830179299422640

Fine. Feed him a seafood platter every night. Start with the oysters.

God only knows what pathogens are in that sh*t soup.

[American Girl]

Excerpt:
The nation’s capital just suffered what many are calling the worst raw sewage spill in American history, and it happened under the watch of DC Water Board Chair Dr. Unique N. Morris-Hughes. The massive overflow dumped approximately 243 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the Potomac River, with the vast majority — around 194 million gallons — released in the first five days after a collapse in the Potomac Interceptor sewer line along the Clara Barton Parkway. This environmental disaster has left the Potomac contaminated, threatened drinking water intakes, and damaged the river’s ecosystem for miles downstream.




She does look like she has experience sweeping sht under the rug


https://conservativeus.com/worst-sewage-spill-ever-hits-dc-water-under-chair-unique-morris-hughes-her-resume-before-this-job-raises-eyebrows/

[Camp]

Unique sure lived up to the unorthodox name her momma gave her.

Most people with a scintilla of common sense would know when they are in a position outside of their skill set.  Not her.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Not just the Potomac, but every tributary tidewater estuary downstream, including the lower Chesapeake Bay.

That's a $100 Billion/year fishery being rendered unfishable.
Oysters, fish, crabs...

[Wingnut]

Unique sure lived up to the unorthodox name her momma gave her.

Doe she pronounce it the ghetto way, Uni Q?

[mountaineer]

The guy in charge of the Potomac water situation is the same one who "advised" Flint on its water quality. 

@amuse
@amuse
DEI: Why did Washington DC hire David Gadis after he lied to Flint residents that their water was safe to drink despite knowing it was contaminated with lead? Diversity, plain and simple. When he got to DC Water he fired all of the white male executives and replaced them with less experienced people of color. Now DC is facing the largest sewage spill in our nation's history.
12:53 PM · Feb 18, 2026

https://twitter.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/2024152769318281464

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history

And occurred all within Democrat-controlled areas.

Don't hold one's breath waiting to read that on MSM

[catfish1957]

Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history

And occurred all within Democrat-controlled areas.

Don't hold one's breath waiting to read that on MSM

And the same crowd that screams bloody murder about CO2.  Nothing like a real environmental disaster to highlight epic hypocrisy.

[Mod2]

Merged two threads on Potomac sewage spill

[Wingnut]

Potomac wastewater spill appears to be largest in US history

And occurred all within Democrat-controlled areas.

Don't hold one's breath waiting to read that on MSM

What about that massive release of crap from the mine in Colorado or someplace out that way.

[Smokin Joe]

What about that massive release of crap from the mine in Colorado or someplace out that way.

That water was mine runoff, a chemical leachate high in metals, but not raw human sewage. Nasty, but it would not cause infections, just don't drink it (and admittedly, not good for the fish)

You don't even want to fall overboard in this stuff. It's a bioweapon.

Every fish, oyster, clam, and crab downriver will be rendered inedible as not just fecal coliform, but virtually any pathogen found in DC goes into the sewers, and now, the tidewater there. This isn't the same as a flowing river, the portion of the Potomac affected is tidewater.

Because it is tidewater, it's a Two steps forward, one step back progress to the mouth of the Chesapeake, and eventually Cape Charles and the Atlantic. Southern Maryland and the Virginia shores will be particularly affected, including the Wicomico River (the large tributary between Charles and St. Mary's Counties (MD), which is a National Scenic River.
 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

And the same crowd that screams bloody murder about CO2.  Nothing like a real environmental disaster to highlight epic hypocrisy.

Yep, imaginary disaster vs a real disaster.

These people do not understand reality.  Unless in this case they crave Chesapeake Bay crabs to eat.

[mountaineer]

NOVA Campaigns
@NoVA_Campaigns
The Chairwoman of the @dcwater board is Unique Morris-Hughes. She’s overseeing the biggest sewage spill in US history.
She has no engineering or infrastructure background. She’s a DEI bureaucrat & former teacher. Her day job? DC’s Secretary of Labor.
She makes $231,631 per year.
8:29 AM · Feb 18, 2026

https://twitter.com/NoVA_Campaigns/status/2024073997038563794

[IsailedawayfromFR]

NOVA Campaigns
@NoVA_Campaigns
The Chairwoman of the @dcwater board is Unique Morris-Hughes. She’s overseeing the biggest sewage spill in US history.
She has no engineering or infrastructure background. She’s a DEI bureaucrat & former teacher. Her day job? DC’s Secretary of Labor.
She makes $231,631 per year.
8:29 AM · Feb 18, 2026

https://twitter.com/NoVA_Campaigns/status/2024073997038563794

'Unique'ly a Fani Willis lookalike, down to the color dress.

I wonder if she puts on her dress backwards, too?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The DC Water Chief believes his priority is not to ensure that water remains safe, but that his group needs to be DEI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhIodoQiLnk&t=310s

[BobfromWB]

Stop saying the Potomac spill was the largest one in US history! It manifestly was NOT!!!

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin sewage overflow in August 2025 released approximately 5.14 BILLION gallons of combined sewage and stormwater into Lake Michigan due to extreme rainfall overwhelming the system.

The Potomac River spill in January 2026, caused by a collapsed sewer line, released 243 to 300 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.

Thus, the Wisconsin spill was over 17 times larger in volume than the Potomac spill, making it the largest single sewage overflow event in U.S. history.