{"id":17625,"date":"2026-03-05T15:30:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17625"},"modified":"2026-03-05T17:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T22:44:09","slug":"vdh-partially-lifts-potomac-river-recreational-water-advisory","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/vdh-partially-lifts-potomac-river-recreational-water-advisory\/","title":{"rendered":"VDH Partially Lifts Potomac River Recreational Water Advisory"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 5, 2026
\nMedia Contact:<\/strong> Brookie Crawford, brookie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

VDH Partially Lifts Potomac River Recreational Water Advisory <\/strong>
\nAdvisory Remains in Place North of Chain Bridge<\/em><\/p>\n

RICHMOND, Va. \u2013 Effective immediately, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is partially lifting the recreational water advisory<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The advisory was issued February 13, out of an abundance of caution, due to a sewage spill in the Potomac River<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

To prevent recreational water illnesses due to exposure to sewage spill events, people should:<\/p>\n