Washington, D.C
Potomac sewage spill: Repairs to take weeks longer after large rocks found in pipe
The blockage inside the collapsed sewer line that sent hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River is worse than previously thought, and it’s going to take weeks longer to repair, DC Water officials said.
It will likely take an additional four to six weeks to get a system in place to safely remove large rocks and boulders crews found inside the sewer line during an overnight inspection, DC Water said in an update early Friday morning.
“Standard cleaning methods using industrial vacuums and jets are not sufficient to remove these large boulders,” DC Water said. “Addressing this blockage will require both larger machinery and manual labor. Workers will need to safely enter the pipe, use slings to maneuver around the rocks, and then rely on heavy equipment to extract each boulder, making removal a complex and highly specialized operation.”
DC Water DC Water
The “large rock dam” stretches about 30 feet downstream of the original pipe collapse, the agency said.
According to DC Water, the rocks were likely excavated during the pipe’s construction in the 1960s and used as backfill. When the pipe failure happened last month, the rocks were drawn in by the force of the wastewater flow.
Then, as the surrounding material eroded into the sinkhole created by the collapse, extra rocks and soil accumulated and filled the pipe, helping create the rock dam.
DC Water said its bypass pump system near the spill has mostly contained the overflow of wastewater, but hasn’t stopped it. Reducing the flow of water through the pipe further means adding more of those pumps, DC Water said.
University of Maryland researchers say the spill spewed harmful bacteria as far as 10 miles downstream from the sewage overflow site.
The bacteria now in the Potomac River water, according to those UMD researchers, includes E. coli, the bacteria behind Staph infections and the antibiotic-resistant form of Staph known as MRSA.
To make matters worse, the cold water and outdoor temperatures are acting like a refrigerator, keeping the bacteria alive for longer as it travels downstream.
News4 Meteorologist Ryan Miller explained how the colder temperatures may be slowing the natural cleansing of the river from the spill.
“The water temperature right now is 39 degrees,” Miller told News4’s Mark Segraves. “That’s refrigerator temperature water. And that water will help to slow the growth of the bacteria, prevent the die-off, a massive die-off of the bacteria. So from that standpoint, the cold water can actually help transport further distances some of the pathogens.”
UMD officials urged anyone who comes in contact with the water to get tested.
DC Water is also conducting water quality sampling at multiple locations to check for E. coli bacteria, and also found elevated levels after the spill.
The spill took place below the point in the river where D.C.’s drinking water comes from, which means the D.C. water supply has not been impacted and is safe, according to DC Water.
It’s been more than two weeks since the sewer pipe collapsed on Jan. 19, causing 300 million gallons of sewage and wastewater to flow into the Potomac River.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Abundant sunshine
- Temps slightly cooler than average
- No rain in sight — again
- Mid-week warmup
May is drawing to a dry, comfortable close, in stunning contrast to the very soggy Memorial Day weather we saw last weekend.
That 10-day stretch of rain put a definite dent in our drought, according to the weekly national drought monitor, but it seems that was the end of the improvement for a while: There’s almost no clouds in sight for the DMV for several days.
Enjoy the many hours of sunshine on Saturday. The high pressure coming in from the Hudson Bay brings a stiff north wind, but the day will also be sunny and comfortable, with highs in the mid 70s.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
The wind will die down after dark, and Sunday morning will be bordering on chilly. Expect widespread mid/upper 40s in most of the D.C. area, with urban centers and bayside communities staying just above 50°. Sunday afternoon will be just a bit warmer, in the mid 70s, but with far less of a breeze.
Highs will be back around 80° for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with overnight lows in the comfy 50s. It’ll be a perfect start to meteorological summer (June/July/August).
QuickCast
TODAY:
Sunshine Abounds, Breezy
Wind: North 10-15mph, Gust to 25 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 70° to 75°
TONIGHT:
Clear Skies
Winds Diminish
Wind: Northwest 10-15 mph
Chance Of Rain: 0%
LOWS: 46° to 54°
SUNDAY:
Mostly Sunny Skies
Pleasant Conditions
Light Breeze
Wind: NW 5 – 10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 70° to 76°
MONDAY:
Partly Cloudy
Seasonable
Light Breeze
Wind: West/Northwest 10 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 76° to 82°
Sunrise: 5:45 Sunset: 8:26
Average High: 80° Average Low: 63°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
WASHINGTON – A man is in critical condition after falling into the Anacostia River in Southwestern Washington, D.C., Friday night.
What we know:
D.C. Fire and EMS reported the rescue effort shortly after 10 p.m. at James Creek Marina in Buzzard Point.
Crews believe a man fell from the dock into the water.
By 10:30 p.m., crews were able to pull the man out of the water.
Paramedics took him to the hospital in critical condition.
What we don’t know:
Officials did not identify the man who was rescued. No other information was immediately available.
The Source: Information in this story is from the D.C. Fire and EMS Department.
Washington, D.C
DC’s baseball team faces potential DOJ probe after exec allegedly admitted to religious discrimination
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX — Washington, D.C.’s professional baseball franchise could come under Justice Department scrutiny after a viral video showed a team executive appearing to admit to his religious discrimination against a Christian player.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is urging Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to investigate alleged religious discrimination against players for the Washington Nationals, according to a letter sent Thursday to and first obtained by Fox News Digital.
The letter comes after Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe published a secretly recorded video of Washington Nationals Director of Community Relations Sean Hudson saying the team does not include pitcher Trevor Williams in certain social media promotion.
He cited the player’s public criticism of another Major League Baseball franchise for hosting a drag group mocking Catholics.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is urging the Department of Justice to investigate alleged religious discrimination within the Washington Nationals organization and across Major League Baseball. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
EXCLUSIVE: KENTUCKY BARISTA TAKES LEGAL ACTION AFTER TERMINATION, CLAIMS SHE WAS FIRED FOR SHARING HER FAITH
“According to the reporting by James O’Keefe, it appears the Washington Nationals are engaged in unlawful religious discrimination,” Boebert told Fox News Digital in a written statement. “I urge the DOJ to take immediate and decisive action.”
A spokesperson for the Justice Department said they received Boebert’s letter.
“The Department is reviewing the matter and will evaluate all appropriate next steps. As always, we remain committed to enforcing federal law and protecting civil rights,” they told Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson for the Washington Nationals did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hudson, in the clandestine recording, pointed to Williams’ public objections to the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring the Sisterhood of Perpetual Indulgence — a drag group that dresses as nuns — during the team’s 2023 “Pride Night.
The event also drew condemnation from multiple Catholic bishops, who described it as “blasphemous.”
Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals sits in the dugout before a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash., on May 28, 2025. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Williams said he found the group’s anti-Catholic demonstration featuring vulgar caricatures of the crucifixion and sacred rituals to be “deeply offensive,” in an interview with Bishop Robert Barron last year. The professional baseball player said he made the decision with his wife to speak out even though it would put “a target on our back.”
“Baseball stadiums should be a place where everyone feels welcomed, like 100%,” Williams said in the interview. “We should all feel welcomed there. But that was clearly against one certain religion. If you don’t draw the line in the sand, who’s gonna do it?”
According to Hudson, that public criticism of the drag group’s performance later affected Williams’ opportunities at the Nationals franchise.
“Because of that we don’t use him on social [media],” Hudson told an undercover journalist in the video. “When they’re like ‘is a hot dog a sandwich’ and the players come up, we don’t ask him.”
CONGRESSMAN SAYS MLB IS OUSTING TREVOR BAUER DUE TO TRUMP SUPPORT, IN LETTER TO ROB MANFRED
Boebert said she is concerned that Hudson’s admission could mean the franchise violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on religion and other protected classes.
“Americans of faith should not face professional repercussions for objecting to the mockery of their sacred traditions,” the Colorado Republican said in the letter. “MLB’s privileged legal position should not become a license for exclusionary practices.”
“Sister Unity” and “Sister Dominia” of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were honored on Pride Night before the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on June 16, 2023. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
Hudson, in the video, described himself as “far-left leaning” and nonreligious. Meanwhile, he called Williams “super Catholic.”
The Washington Nationals executive also boasted about a Communist Party poster in his office and mused about pushing redistribution of wealth and other leftist agendas during baseball games at Nationals Park in Southeast Washington, D.C.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“What a cool opportunity for us [Nationals] to also, be a little bit of like, the voice of reason,” Hudson said. “And a lot of people will tell you when I come to a baseball game, I don’t want to think about that s–t.”
“If you’re a sports fan and we piss you off, where else are you gonna go,” he went on. “I don’t give a sh–t.”
-
Lifestyle22 minutes ago‘Wait Wait’ for May 30, 2026: Our Endless Summer with Tiffany Haddish, Lucy Dacus, and more!
-
Education25 minutes agoVideo: Can California Convince Teens to Work in Construction?
-
Technology37 minutes agoBackrooms is a certified blockbuster with a $38 million opening day
-
World40 minutes agoHamas struggles to fill leadership ranks as Israel hunts Oct 7 terrorists
-
Politics45 minutes agoAnti-ICE agitator charged with allegedly biting officers during Delaney Hall clashes
-
Health52 minutes agoWhat to do if someone is having a stroke, after Jill Biden revealed debate-night fears
-
Sports55 minutes agoDispatch audio reveals what was heard inside Josh Jacobs’ home before alleged domestic violence arrest
-
Technology60 minutes agoCab-less electric trucks hit Ohio roads
