On January 19, a six-foot diameter 60-year-old sewage pipe near Lock 10 ruptured and raw sewage surged into the Potomac River at the rate of 40 million gallons a day. Mac Thornton, former board member, and Burton “Burr” Gray, long-time PRKN supporter, got videos and photos to Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper, and the battle was joined.
Dean promptly got to the scene and realized the dangers. He, with Mac and Burr, got the news media quickly involved to inform the public. Then, Dean and Evan Quinter, PRKN Water Quality and Volunteer Coordinator, obtained water samples for testing. The E. Coli numbers at the site were nearly 12,000 times higher than safe for human contact. Even downriver, the numbers were stratospheric.
The news gets worse: on January 23, Maryland officials issued a shellfish harvesting closure – 70 miles downriver. Good job, Maryland, for appreciating the gravity of the problem! Why hasn’t DC Water nor the DC Government done any testing or implemented any public health advisories?
Although DC Water insisted no threat to public health, we have yet to see the results of any testing to verify that. Their temporary solution to the catastrophe: pump the raw sewage into the C&O Canal.
