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.
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 February 13, VDH issued a recreational advisory for Virginia residents.
Shellfish Closures
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). At this time, MDE and VDH have no evidence that shellfish resources outside of the defined emergency closure area have been affected.
Shellfish harvesting waters under Virginia’s jurisdiction begin at the Harry W. Nice (Dahlgren) Bridge (Route 301) and are limited to tributary creeks located on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. At this time, Virginia shellfish growing areas are not impacted by the sewage spill. As a result, no inspections or water quality testing have been conducted to date related to this incident.
Recreation
Due to reports of sewage spills in the Potomac River and the anticipated timeline for repairs, the VDH is issuing a recreational water advisory for Virginia residents. For the safety of people and pets, VDH is advising Virginia residents to avoid recreational water activities in the Potomac River, such as swimming, wading, tubing, white-water canoeing or kayaking, where full-body submersion is more likely to occur.
The advisory is being issued 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 discharge February 7. The timeline for the repair is estimated to be four to six weeks. The advisory area extends for 72.5 miles from the American Legion Memorial Bridge (I-495) in Fairfax County to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (Route 301) in King George County.
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.