U.S. News
DC Water Error Exposes Potomac River Sewage Crisis
Clear Facts
- DC Water admitted on February 9 to a major error in reporting E. coli levels to the public.
- The actual E. coli contamination was 100 times higher than initial reports after the Potomac Interceptor sewage spill.
- Over 243 million gallons of waste entered the Potomac River due to the spill, creating significant environmental concern.
DC Water acknowledged a serious reporting mistake after a sewage spill sent human waste into the Potomac River. The company had initially understated the E. coli contamination by a significant margin.
The real E. coli level reached 242,000 MPN/100mL, not the 2,420 MPN/100mL previously reported by DC Water.
“The previous data indicated 2,420 MPN/100mL when the results were 242,000 MPN/100mL,” the update read.
DC Water attributed the discrepancy to human error, which was identified and corrected in an internal review. The provider said that the drinking water system remains unaffected, as it operates separately from the waste water system.
“We identified a human error through internal review, corrected it immediately, and updated the information as soon as it was confirmed. Sampling and monitoring have continued,” they wrote.
The spill occurred on January 19 due to a failure in a 72-inch pipeline, resulting in hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage pouring into the river. DC Water has stated the cleanup could take months.
“We regret this mistake and have implemented additional quality control measures to ensure the accuracy of the data reported,” the update continued.
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