Trump Calls in FEMA to Respond to Sewage Disaster in Potomac River

Testing of the river water revealed high levels of E. coli and other infectious bacteria.

Water samples are taken from the Potomac River in Glen Echo, Md., on on Jan. 23, 2026. Nathan Ellgren/AP

President Donald Trump is directing federal emergency teams to respond to a sewage spill on the Potomac River, calling it a “massive ecological disaster” and blaming local leaders for not handling the crisis, which began nearly a month ago.

“There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Feb. 16.