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D.C. Lifts Potomac Recreation Advisory as Repairs Advance and Testing Ramps Up

Three weeks of safe E. coli results in D.C. waters led health officials to lift restrictions following January’s sewer collapse.

Overview

  • Environmental restoration began under a National Park Service permit, with contaminated brush and soil removal underway and work paused during rainfall to prevent recontamination.
  • Crews finished cleaning the upstream pipe segment and are preparing to spray geopolymer to stabilize the damaged interceptor before a planned sliplining phase.
  • D.C. Water increased around‑the‑clock pumping capacity to keep sewage out of the river as emergency repairs target completion in mid‑March.
  • D.C. Health moved to daily sampling at multiple Potomac and Anacostia sites, sending samples to an EPA laboratory with results returning in about two days.
  • Officials report no additional overflows to the Potomac since Feb. 9 and say drinking water remained unaffected, while the Potomac Riverkeeper Network urges broader testing and longer‑term restoration; DC Water says it is coordinating with regulators and stakeholders.