Drinking Water ♦ Shellfish Closures ♦ Recreation
On January 19, a sewer line in Montgomery County, Maryland, collapsed, causing an overflow of more than 200 million gallons of wastewater into Potomac River. On January 24, DC Water completed a bypass to reroute wastewater around the collapsed section of pipe and back into the sewer system. In the beginning of February, additional overflows occurred.
DC Water is handling the repairs to the pipe. Updates on repairs can be found on the DC Water page. Maryland has regulatory authority over the Potomac River for issuing shellfish closures and recreational advisories as well as water quality monitoring.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is working with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). VDH has a long-standing relationship with these agencies navigating pollution events and water quality monitoring in the Potomac River and have been in constant communication since the event occurred.
On March 3, VDH partially lifted the recreational water advisory for the portion of the Potomac River from the Route 120 Chain Bridge to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (Route 301) in King George County. The advisory remains in place upstream, from the American Legion Memorial Bridge (I-495) to the Route 120 Chain Bridge.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is conducting regular water quality testing to assess the impacts of this spill as it continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of Virginians.
Shellfish Closures
At this time, Virginia shellfish growing areas are not impacted by the sewage spill.
On February 17, VDH staff conducted a routine seawater sampling run for shellfish growing areas from Colonial Beach to the 301 Bridge, collecting 36 water samples in total. Based on the laboratory analyses, there was no elevated fecal coliform bacteria concentrations, with the vast majority of the samples were at or below the detection limit for the test.
VDH collected an additional 37 routine samples on February 26, further downstream in Westmoreland County near Coles Point, at shellfish growing areas including Lower Machodoc, Gardner, Jackson and Bonum Creeks. These samples also showed no elevated bacterial concentrations.
Please note, the areas shown in red are shellfish harvesting condemnations that existed prior to the Potomac River spill. More information on those closures is available at the links below:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/20/cond001A-036.pdf
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/20/cond001-088.pdf
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/20/cond003-001.pdf
MDE, in response to the spill, issued a shellfish closure of Maryland shellfish growing areas on January 25 from the spill location to the Harry W. Nice (Dahlgren) Bridge (Route 301). This closure includes the Potomac River from Charles County and bordering Virginia areas, extending from the Port Tobacco River region down to the Harry W. Nice (Dahlgren) Bridge (Route 301). This closure is expected to reopen on March 10.
Recreation
On March 3, VDH partially lifted the recreational water advisory for the portion of the Potomac River from the Route 120 Chain Bridge to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (Route 301) in King George County. The advisory remains in place upstream, from the American Legion Memorial Bridge (I-495) to the Route 120 Chain Bridge.
The advisory was issued February 13, out of an abundance of caution, due to a sewage spill in the Potomac River that occurred January 19, and subsequent reports of a sewage discharges in early February. The situation has been actively monitored by Virginia, Maryland and DC.
Water quality sampling results collected by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on February 17, 25, 26, and 27 indicate bacteria concentrations in the Potomac River are at levels acceptable for all recreational water use. Swimming or other activities in any natural body of water always pose some health risk because the water is not disinfected. Children under the age of five years, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of contracting illness from natural bodies of water.
The advisory will remain in place for the 4.7-mile portion of the Potomac River from the American Legion Memorial Bridge (I-495) in Fairfax County to the Route 120 Chain Bridge at this time. Water quality sampling results collected by the Washington DC Department of Energy and Environment and DC Water continue to show higher values of E. coli near the spill site. For the safety of people and pets, VDH is advising Virginia residents to avoid recreational water activities in this area of Potomac River, such as swimming, wading, tubing, white-water canoeing or kayaking, where full-body submersion is more likely to occur.
To prevent recreational water illnesses due to exposure to sewage spill events, people should:
- Avoid contact with water in the advisory area and observe advisory signage posted at waterbody access points.
- Avoid any area of the water body where water has a foul odor, dead or dying fish, or discolored water.
- Promptly wash skin with soap and water if you cannot avoid contact with water in the vicinity.
- Rinse or wash items that come into contact with the water, including clothing, fishing gear, life vests, ropes and paddles.
- Seek medical care and notify your practitioner of the waterbody exposure if you experience adverse health effects after contact with the waterbody.
- When harvesting fish or crabs, discard skin, organs, cook the meat to proper temperature, and clean cutting boards and cutting implements with warm soapy water.
For more information on recreational water safety, visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com.