Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday declared a public emergency regarding the massive discharge of raw sewage into the Potomac River after a section of sewer line collapsed in January.
She asked President Donald Trump, in a separate letter, to declare a major disaster and that the federal government reimburse the District of Columbia for ¡°emergency response, repair and remediation costs¡± so they are not borne its taxpayers.
¡°It is critical to the welfare of residents and visitors alike that we address the spill, and the consequences of the diversion in the most organized and expeditious manner possible; that we utilize any federal resources available,¡± Bowser wrote in the order.
Trump earlier this week pledged assistance but at the same time blamed Democrats for an environmental ¡°calamity,¡± singling out Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, who, like Bowser, is a Democrat.
The president accused local leaders of incompetence in managing waste management systems and said state and local authorities had failed to request emergency help. Now, he added, the federal government ¡°has no choice but to step in.¡±
Part of the 72-inch sewer line known as the Potomac Interceptor, managed by the District¡¯s Water and Sewer Authority, failed in Maryland¡¯s Montgomery County on Jan. 19. Over the next several days, Bowser said in the order, some 250 million gallons of untreated sewage flowed into the Potomac.
On Jan. 24, a bypass system was built that ¡°largely contained the escaped wastewater¡± by pumping it first into part of the C&O Canal, then back into the Potomac Interceptor, according to the mayor¡¯s order.
Moore on Wednesday rejected a Trump social media post about the spill as ¡°typically unhinged.¡±
He said that the federal government has been responsible for the Interceptor ¡°for the past century¡± and that the pipe that collapsed was on federal land. ¡°The Trump-Vance administration has failed to act,¡± the governor added.
The White House did not immediately respond on Wednesday night to a request for comment on Bowser¡¯s request.
¡°The District economy depends heavily on tourism, and tourists come from around the world to spring events along the Potomac, such as our Cherry Blossom Festival,¡± Bowser wrote in her order. ¡°Long term effects to the water table and plants that depend on it are unknown.¡±
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