The Potomac River still contains hazardous levels of E. Coli and Staph bacteria one month after a sewage pipe burst and spilled over 200 million gallons of sewage into the waterway. Although the amount of dangerous bacteria has lessened since the week of the spill, the levels are still currently 100-200 times more than the EPA standard. Two days after the pipes burst, the river showed bacterial concentrations 10,000 times above the EPA limit. Health officials urge people to stay away from the river and land around the site of the spill.
The Potomac River spill is among the largest in the US history, yet it is unsurprising to experts who have long warned about the risk of such an event. Like much of the country’s infrastructure, the Washington, DC area sewage systems are extremely old and ill-equipped to handle the needs of modern cities. The DC wastewater system was constructed over 100 years ago, more than double the expected lifespan. These systems were not designed to withstand the deluge of wastewater flowing from sprawling cities. Climate change has further strained the systems as the rainstorms have increased in severity and frequency.
