BY MIRABEL ODETA
The Trump administration has filed a formal complaint against the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority following a major infrastructure failure that released hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Potomac River.
The legal action was brought jointly by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, accusing the utility of violating the federal Clean Water Act.
According to officials, a section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line ruptured in January, resulting in the discharge of more than 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the river. The incident is being described as one of the most significant recent wastewater spills in the region, raising serious environmental and public health concerns.
The federal government is now seeking financial penalties against D.C. Water, along with mandatory infrastructure repairs, sewer system assessments, and long-term pollution mitigation measures aimed at preventing similar failures in the future. The Justice Department said the goal is both accountability and restoration of environmental damage caused by the spill.
The lawsuit was filed on the same day that Maryland’s attorney general also took legal action against D.C. Water over the same sewer collapse, signaling coordinated pressure from both state and federal authorities.
Officials say the case highlights growing concerns over aging wastewater infrastructure in the Washington metropolitan area, where heavy usage and outdated systems have increased the risk of large-scale environmental incidents.
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