Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman John Joyce, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, announced on May 14 a hearing titled ‘Corrosion, Collapse, and Clean-Up: Examining the Potomac Interceptor Collapse.’ The hearing is scheduled for May 20 at 10:15 AM ET in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Chairmen Guthrie and Joyce said, “Since launching our investigation in February, the Committee has been working to understand what led to DC Water’s Potomac Interceptor collapse that caused one of the largest sewage spills in American history. The resilience of our wastewater infrastructure systems remains critical to protecting the health and safety of our communities, including safe drinking water and the environment. This hearing will help to understand what was known about the condition of the Potomac Interceptor prior to this incident, the emergency response and cleanup efforts that have been underway since the collapse, and how future incidents may be prevented.”
Jessica L. Kramer, Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), testified before the subcommittee regarding EPA’s role in leading a coordinated federal response to the collapse. According to Kramer, “On May 6, the federal government completed its remediation of the Potomac Interceptor collapse area and fully demobilized its presence onsite. The goal of this federal assistance was to expeditiously remediate the collapse site and surrounding area. I am proud of the work EPA, along with our federal partners, did to ensure this was completed in time for America 250 festivities and deliver on the agency’s commitment to restore the Potomac to pre-collapse conditions. Throughout this process, EPA maintained open and transparent lines of communication with our partners at all levels and with the public.”
Kramer also said that several weeks ago, “the Department of Justice, on behalf of EPA, also filed a civil complaint in federal court against DC Water and the District of Columbia for Clean Water Act violations,” but added that EPA does not comment on pending litigation.
The Potomac Interceptor is managed by DC Water and conveys up to 60 million gallons daily from parts of Virginia and Maryland. On January 19 a portion collapsed causing an estimated 240 million gallons of untreated sewage to overflow into the Potomac River. Following a public emergency declaration by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser in February—and subsequent approval by President Trump—EPA was assigned as lead agency for emergency response.
Remediation activities included inspections; installation by Army Corps engineers of stormwater diversion systems; water quality sampling; removal or treatment of contaminated soil; debris removal; reseeding disturbed areas; flushing nearby canals; coordination among multiple agencies including FEMA; posting daily water quality results online; ensuring drinking water safety downstream from Washington Aqueduct intakes; returning wastewater flow ahead of schedule; completing remediation before summer events.
Kramer concluded: “From the onset of this response we made clear that EPA would be on-the-ground working at full speed until…fully remediated. Thanks to President Trump’s decisive action…we kept that promise.” Further details are available in the organization’s press release.
