Potomac River to get green light for rec activities again

DC Health is set to lift the advisory against recreational contact with the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., weeks after a sewer line ruptured and spilled more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage and wastewater into the waterway.

Beginning Monday, residents can boat, fish and let dogs splash along the shoreline in the D.C. section of the river (swimming is not permitted in D.C. waters).

Officials say bacteria levels from the disastrous January sewage spill have dropped since they rerouted waste from the broken Potomac Interceptor pipe. High E. Coli levels, exceeding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for swimming, were found near locations including the overflow site, Fletcher’s Boathouse, the Georgetown waterfront at times. But testing data shows E. Coli levels dropping.

Drinking water is not, and has not been, affected, DC Water said. Local drinking water is collecting upriver of where the spill occurred.

DC Water crews are making good progress in repairing the underground sewer line that ruptured.

Residents concerned about health and safety

Images of brown water bubbling up from a manhole off the Clara Barton Parkway were still on the minds of the dozens who crowded a conference room at DC Water headquarters in Southwest D.C. on Wednesday night for a town hall meeting.

Many wanted to know: How much damage did the deluge of raw sewage do to the Potomac ecosystem before it was contained and diverted?

“I have some concerns about the long-term ecological impact to the grasses, the fish. Kind of the overall ecosystem,” one Ward 1 resident said.

Tim Blanchard, captain and owner of charter company Fish The Potomac, came to see what the latest meant for his fishing charter business. He’s invested in the Potomac and its health.

“I run fishing charters, I run kids’ fishing camps, I run a kids’ fishing club throughout the year, and I’m opening a tackle shop down here on the marina docks right here as well. So, it’s impacting it tremendously.”

He also offered to help with testing from parts of the river further out from the shoreline.

D.C. officials were asked what assistance they have received from the federal government after making a declaration of emergency. The repair and remediation is estimated to cost about $20 million dollars.

Clint Osborn, the director of D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the EPA is helping with testing and technical support as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinates the response.

DC Water will host a meeting for Maryland residents on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda.