Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a local emergency and asked the federal government for help cleaning up hundreds of millions of gallons of spilled human waste in the Potomac River.
On Jan. 19, a 72-inch diameter sewer pipe collapsed near the Clara Barton Parkway in Maryland. It dumped hundreds of millions of gallons of human waste into the River, according to the D.C. Water utility, which manages the sewer line called the Potomac Intercepter. Before it collapsed, that sewer line carried up to 60 million gallons of waste daily from Virginia and Maryland to a water treatment plant in D.C.
As the region continues responding to the Potomac Interceptor break, we have requested federal support.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) February 19, 2026
We are seeking 100% reimbursement for costs incurred by the District and DC Water.
The other areas we have requested federal support can be found here:…
DC Mayor asks for federal help for the Potomac disaster https://t.co/58gDyetzX2
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 19, 2026
DC Request for Presidential Emergency Disaster Decleration 2.18.26 by scott.mcclallen
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing earlier today that one of three Democrat leaders must ask for help so the Potomac won’t smell like poop.
.@pdoocy: "Is he worried that by the summer the Potomac River will still smell like poop?"@PressSec Karoline Leavitt: "He is worried about that which is why the federal government want to fix it." pic.twitter.com/rqXXYhtWVo
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 18, 2026
Bowser requested federal support through a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration request.
On Tuesday, Trump called on Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. to "get to work IMMEDIATELY" or ask for help to clean up the sewage spill.
"The Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it," Trump posted on Truth Social. "But remember, even in that case, with the Democrat Shutdown, we’ll have to bring in true Patriots to do the work because many are not working right now. These Democrat caused Disasters, both River and Shutdown, will only get worse. The two Governors and the Mayor of D.C. must act, IMMEDIATELY. This is a Radical Left caused Environmental Hazard. With all of their talk about carbon footprints and everything else, they’re allowing hundreds of tons of sewage to pour into the Mighty Potomac, making it much less mighty. ACT FAST."
Bowser declared a local public emergency and asked for all costs by the District and the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority to be reimbursed.
Bowser asked for help with the following:
- Direct FEMA to establish regular interagency coordination calls among federal agencies, affected states, and the District.
- Help testing water quality monitoring, environmental modeling, and engineering.
- Direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess the Little Falls intake and Dalecarlia Treatment Plant.
Long-Term Resilience and Infrastructure Actions
- Accelerate USACE capital improvements to the Washington Aqueduct to strengthen drinking water resilience for federal and District users.
- Direct the National Park Service, and other relevant federal agencies, to collaborate with DC Water to remediate impacted portions of the C&O Canal and adjacent federal lands once repairs are substantially complete.
- Support DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project, which is DC Water's ongoing program to reduce combined sewer overflows into the District's waterways - the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek.
- Fully fund flood protection improvements at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, which treats approximately 300 million gallons of wastewater per day and serves both local and federal populations.
The local government recommends continued precautions and avoiding contact with the Potomac River.