DC Water completes repairs to sewage spill in Potomac River with Trump’s help

“Emergency repairs to the Potomac Interceptor have been completed,” DC Water said Saturday. “Full flow has been restored, and the C&O Canal has been completely drained as part of site restoration. Since January 19, crews have been working around the clock to stabilize the site and protect the Potomac River.”

The announcement came after a sewer pipe ruptured on Jan. 19, releasing more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser A catastrophic emergency was declared about a sewage spill in the Potomac and requested federal assistance in the cleanup.

Trump said he was concerned The Potomac River will still stink When America250 celebrations kick off this summer, according to the White House.

A sewage spill spreads E. coli bacteria into the Potomac River near D.C

Repairs were completed after a historic sewage spill into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., less than a month after President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration that allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

The president has directed his anger at Democrats Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other local leaders in Virginia and Washington, D.C., spoke out on the issue, claiming that incompetence led to the disaster.

But Moore and his office In response to Trump’s statements Claiming that the federal government oversees sanitation facilities.

“This is a pipe in Washington, D.C., on federal land.” Moore told Fox News Digital last month. “The state of Maryland has nothing to do with this. In fact, the only thing Maryland did was when we saw a neighbor in need. That’s why it ordered the people, our people, to go support them, and that’s what we’ve been doing for the last month.”

Raw sewage flows into an interceptor alongside the Potomac River in Cabin John, Maryland, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Clive Owen)

“We basically did the federal government’s job because the federal government’s job is to be able to protect the Potomac Link because this is federal land,” Moore said. He added: “For the president to come now and attack me for this, I find that…ridiculous.”

The sewer pipes are managed by DC Water, an independent utility based in District of Columbia.

A class action lawsuit has been filed By a Virginia resident on March 6 who accused DC Water of negligence.

Noel Boxer, an external affairs officer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), inspects the flow of raw sewage after a gate was raised to resume flow along the Potomac River on Saturday. (AP Photo/Clive Owen)

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Plaintiff Nicholas Lilas, a recreational boater, is seeking compensation for people “whose real estate interests in, use and enjoyment of the Potomac River…have been harmed by defendant’s conduct,” the lawsuit said.

He is seeking unspecified damages.

Stephen Sorace and Jasmine Baher of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.