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WSSC and DC Water outline cleanup, costs after Potomac interceptor break that sent sewage into river
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Summary
WSSC and DC Water told the county council that emergency bypass pumping stopped most flows from a Jan. 19 Potomac interceptor collapse and that environmental remediation and a capital repair program are underway; DC Water estimates the emergency and rehab work at about $20 million, with WSSC’s share near 30.9%.
Keisha Powell, general manager of WSSC Water, and Matt Brown, chief operating officer for DC Water, briefed the Prince George’s County Council on March 17 about the January collapse of a 72‑inch section of the Potomac interceptor and the ongoing emergency response and rehabilitation.
Powell said WSSC’s priorities included stopping sewage flow to the river, stabilizing public water and sewer service, and seeking clarity on cost shares and potential federal offsets. “The estimate for the emergency work including environmental rehabilitation has been stated as $20,000,000,” Powell said in the presentation, and she noted WSSC is pursuing additional information on how federal funding to DC Water may offset regional partner costs.
DC Water’s Brown described the operational response: bypass pumps and a conveyance plan routed roughly 40 million gallons per day around the break and, by Jan. 24, the majority of the flow had been stopped. Brown said crews excavated and found the pipe bed contained rock and other debris that complicated repairs; crews reinforced the section with geopolymer and removed a bulkhead so flows could return on March 14. “We were able to remove the bulkhead and then restore the flow back into the interceptor,” Brown said.
Brown described sampling and environmental work: bacteria monitoring is being posted daily at multiple locations; DC Water expanded sampling sites after community input and said the results are color‑coded against the EPA recreational e.coli standard. He said the agencies have begun environmental rehabilitation in four impact areas using partners including EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
WSSC chief engineer Alan Wong outlined near‑term capital work: the agency has accelerated a slip‑lining project for roughly 2,700 linear feet using open trenches at the break site, with a broader rehabilitative program (about 10,000 linear feet) planned through the six‑year CIP. WSSC’s staff told the council that the WSSC cost share for the Rock Run break location is approximately 30.9 percent of emergency work and planned improvements.
Council members pressed WSSC leaders about public‑health protections and customer impacts. Several council members raised affordability concerns and asked how emergency and CIP costs will affect rates; WSSC staff said those costs would be integrated into the debt service and could affect long‑term rates modestly (WSSC staff estimated a potential ~0.6% rate pressure tied to Potomac interceptor capital costs in the six‑year plan). The agency also reiterated expanded customer assistance programs and an advanced‑metering pilot to catch unexplained high bills sooner.
Next steps described to the council include continued environmental remediation in coordination with federal and state agencies, completion of the expedited slip‑lining repair by year’s end, and further clarification of cost allocations and potential federal aid requests. DC Water said it is pursuing federal disaster declarations and other funding applications to help offset the local share of emergency and rehabilitation costs.
The council received the briefing and asked WSSC to provide more detailed cost and funding scenarios, monitoring data, and a timeline for the slip‑lining and rehab work.
