Group Seeks to Join Case Against DC Water Over Potomac Interceptor

Group Seeks to Join Case Against DC Water Over Potomac Interceptor

The motion seeks accountability for the sewage spill

Contacts

Tylar Greene, [email protected]

Today, Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) moved to intervene and join in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency against DC Water for its failure to prevent the recent Potomac Interceptor sewer line rupture.

The collapse caused an estimated 243 million gallons of untreated sewage to flow into the Potomac River. The pipe is operated by DC Water and carries wastewater from parts of Maryland and Virginia to a treatment plant in Washington, D.C.

Since the collapse in January, PRKN, represented by Earthjustice in the court motion, has conducted independent water quality monitoring, provided public information and updates, participated in agency briefings and oversight discussions, and worked directly with affected communities throughout the watershed.

"We at PRKN had long feared that this disaster was not an accident," said Potomac Riverkeeper Network President Betsy Nicholas. "It was a failure of decision-making, accountability, and urgency. We, as the voice of the community, must have a seat at the table to assure that paddlers, anglers, outfitters, watermen, and residents - all of whom rely on the Potomac - are made whole and that there is no repeat of this catastrophe."

"The pollution from the sewer spill needs to be cleaned up to protect people's health and the river environment," said Earthjustice Attorney Nicholas Morales. "We're intervening to ensure that our client, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, its members and everyone who uses the river regularly for outdoor recreation have a voice in the outcome of the case."

PRKN is also seeking an intervention in the Maryland state enforcement case, filed by the Maryland Attorney General on behalf of the Maryland Department of the Environment against DC Water.

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