DC Mayor Declares Emergency, Asks Federal Help on Potomac Sewage Spill

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city intends to seek full reimbursement from the government for the costs.

Raw sewage flows into the Potomac River after a massive sewage pipe rupture in Glen Echo, Md., on Jan. 23, 2026. Cliff Owen /AP Photo

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser on Feb. 18 declared a local public emergency following a sewage spill on the Potomac River and requested federal assistance from President Donald Trump.

More than 250 million gallons of sewage flowed into the Potomac River after a section of the 72-inch Potomac Interceptor sewer line collapsed near the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Jan. 19.