Crews with D.C. Water are continuing to try to divert millions of gallons of sewage and wastewater from the Potomac River after the failure of a 6-foot sewer line last week.

The collapse of the pipe, called the Potomac Interceptor, which carries up to 40 million gallons of sewage and wastewater each day, led to crews establishing a workaround involving the installation of pumps and diversion of the waste into the C&O Canal, according to Sherry Lewis, spokesperson for D.C. Water.

The break occurred in a portion of the interceptor near the Interstate 495 interchange and the Clara Barton Parkway near the C&O Canal National Historical Park.

“This is a dry section of the canal that is contained,” Lewis explained.

She said the wastewater is being channeled downstream from the break, and back into the Potomac Interceptor.

By Monday, the crews were able to make significant progress in redirecting the flow of the wastewater, Lewis said.

“There is some residual wastewater in that area that needs to drain,” she added.

Lewis clarified that D.C.’s drinking water is not affected by the millions of gallons of untreated wastewater that were released by the collapse of the Interceptor.

“The drinking water is safe. There is no impact to it from this overflow,” she said. “The primary intake for the Washington Aqueduct’s drinking water supply is in Great Falls, so it is not anywhere close to where this overflow occurred.”

Lewis said the timeline for how long it might be before the 72-inch pipe could be repaired hasn’t been determined.

“It’s not an overnight fix when you’re talking about a 72-inch, 6- foot-diameter sewer pipe,” she said.

While D.C. Water cited progress on stemming the sewage flow in frigid temperatures, Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks told WTOP, “We’re grateful that the flow has been reduced, but there’s still raw sewage that’s coming into the Potomac River.”

“If this happened in the summer, I can assure you the entire river would be closed for public access and there would be public health notifications,” he said.

The National Park Service and D.C. Water have posted signs in the area notifying passersby that raw sewage poses a contamination hazard.

A news release from the Potomac Riverkeeper Network showed what the group called a “catastrophic impact” on the health of the Potomac River. Testing by Naujoks’ group Friday showed the presence of E. coli at nearly 12,000 times the amount allowed for safe human contact.

“Infrastructure failure is at the root of this disaster,” Naujoks said in the news release. “The interceptor pipe … should have been better maintained in order to avoid this catastrophe.”

D.C. Water issued a statement saying it’s allocated $625 million in its Capital Improvement Program to rehabilitate the Potomac Interceptor over the next 10 years.

In the same statement, D.C. Water said it’s been working closely with federal, state and local partners, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, Washington Aqueduct, D.C.’s Department of Energy and the Environment and Maryland’s Department of the Environment, among others.

“Together, we are coordinating efforts to contain the overflow, monitor and assess environmental impacts, and keep the public informed,” the release said.

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WASHINGTON (7News)) — Nearly one year after a midair collision over the Potomac River killed 67 people aboard two aircraft, the Washington, D.C. region is reflecting on a night that reshaped aviation safety and left dozens of families grieving.

The crash happened just before 9 p.m. Jan. 29, 2025, as an American Airlines regional jet approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after a flight from Wichita, Kansas.

A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crossed into the plane’s flight path, and the two aircraft collided near the airport, erupting into a fireball before plunging into the river.

RELATED | Helicopter flights now banned near Reagan National Airport

All 67 people aboard were killed, 64 passengers and crew members on the plane, and three soldiers on the helicopter, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the Washington area in decades.

Emergency calls flooded dispatch centers within moments of the impact. First responders from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland rushed to the scene as boats and divers searched the dark, icy waters.

The response stretched on for days in freezing temperatures. Divers worked in murky, eight-foot-deep water, maneuvering around ice and debris from the shattered jet. Recovery efforts were temporarily halted at times so that large pieces of wreckage interfering with the search could be removed.

Reagan National Airport shut down immediately after the crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration issued an extended ground stop. Hundreds of flights were disrupted, with incoming aircraft diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport. Metro services were expanded to help stranded travelers return to vehicles parked at Reagan National, and warming buses were sent to assist the recovery crews.

Officials later recovered both flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the plane, along with the helicopter’s voice and data recorder. Investigators have spent months reviewing that information as part of a comprehensive federal probe.

SEE ALSO | Chair of NTSB speaks with 7News ahead of plane crash findings next week

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to share its final report on Tuesday in a board meeting, including the probable cause of the collision. That report is expected to be released on Feb.10, 2026 — one year after the investigation began.

For families, the anniversary has reopened deep wounds. Relatives of victims have spoken about the suddenness of the loss and the lasting impact on tight-knit communities across the country.

As Washington pauses to remember the victims, officials say the findings of the investigation will be critical in preventing a similar tragedy from happening again.