The massive pipe that leaked millions of gallons of raw waste into the Potomac River has been repaired, but the disaster has spotlighted the vulnerability of drinking water supplies for the nation’s capital, federal and regional officials said Tuesday.
While the largest sewage spill in the country’s history never affected the city’s drinking water, it is raising alarm about the fact Washington, D.C., is reliant solely on the Potomac River for its tap water supplies.
“We are having conversations about all of this,” said Jess Kramer, EPA assistant administrator for water and the Trump administration’s response lead for the sewage cleanup, at a press event near the spill site Tuesday. “More to come on that front.”
Concern about the vulnerability has been building for years at DC Water, the city’s drinking water and wastewater utility. Terrorist threats, chemical spills and drought all threaten to disrupt supplies for the city of 700,000, as well as critical government buildings such as the Pentagon, Capitol and White House.
