DOJ and EPA Sue DC Water for Pipeline Neglect

The U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit Monday against the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, known as DC Water, and the city of Washington, D.C., accusing the utility of neglecting maintenance on a major sewage pipeline that collapsed and spilled millions of gallons of raw wastewater into the Potomac River.

The incident occurred on January 19 in Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of the nation's capital, when a section of the 72-inch Potomac Interceptor failed. The pipeline, installed in the 1960s and spanning about 54 miles, transports roughly 60 million gallons of wastewater daily from parts of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. to the Blue Plains treatment plant. Federal officials estimate the collapse released at least 244 million gallons of untreated sewage into the river and surrounding areas, including National Park Service land, posing risks to public health and the environment.

According to the complaint, DC Water violated the Clean Water Act by ignoring signs of deterioration, such as corrosion identified in inspections conducted between 2011 and 2015. The utility acknowledged the pipe's aging condition but failed...