Hundreds of millions of gallons of human waste have leaked into the Potomac River after an underground sewage line burst in January.
A Washington D.C. utility said that on Jan. 19, a sewage line burst in the Potomac Interceptor along the Clara Barton Parkway at the 495 interchange and C and O Canal National Historical Park.
The D.C. water utility estimated in a Feb. 6 press release, based on monitoring collection data, that about 243 million gallons of wastewater had overflowed from the collapse site. Roughly 194 million gallons of that happened in the first five days before bypass pumping reduced the overflow.
Major news networks won’t cover what has become the largest human waste spill in U.S. history. What's worse is that this mess likely won't be cleaned for about nine months, Townhall reported.
If this were an oil pipeline, then legacy media and environmental groups would be live-streaming 24/7 by the river. But since it’s human waste, few major outlets with a nationwide reach have covered the poop disaster.
Crews continued major progress today. The access pit has been opened, additional pumps were delivered to the site, and suction lines are being fused as the enhanced bypass system comes together. No overflow events have been reported in the last 24 hours. 🔗https://t.co/R1rwVVOtle pic.twitter.com/wSBTxKJmNd
— DC Water (@dcwater) February 14, 2026
Hundreds of millions of gallons of waste has spilled into the Potomac River causing extreme levels of bacteria.
— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) February 13, 2026
On January 19th, crews noticed unusual activity in security cameras monitoring an odor control facility along the C&O Canal. Upon inspection, they discovered the… pic.twitter.com/DJNd9QUHDC
The gloves are off as @KatiePavlich discusses the "PoopGeyser" in Washington, D.C.'s Potomac River which is now officially the largest spill of wastewater in U.S. history. pic.twitter.com/hBoZllShTi
— Katie Pavlich Tonight (@KatiePavlichNN) February 13, 2026
This is getting almost no coverage by legacy media outlets and zero street protests from environmentalist groups. It’s almost like they don’t want to draw attention to a massive failure of DC/MD/VA government. I have no idea why 😉. Democracy dies in the darkness anyone? https://t.co/Lo4BDU97HW
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) February 15, 2026
This DC sewage spill is going to impact everything – but particularly wealthy areas around Georgetown, Potomac, the Palisades.. especially as things warm up.
— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) February 14, 2026
It’s getting harder and harder for elites to escape the failures of bad governance they keep voting for. https://t.co/zQlmcEXGWM
Poo-tomac river update: “It will take another nine months for DC Water to fix the sewer pipe near I-495 and Clara Barton Parkway that collapsed on January 19 and sent nearly 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.” pic.twitter.com/loJTutFmvJ
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 15, 2026
Lead ABC, CBS, NBC shows refuse to cover largest sewage spill in U.S. history on the Potomac River https://t.co/1nYvwn1Y2S
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 15, 2026