Millions of gallons of raw sewage flowed into thePotomac Riverafter a sewer pipe collapsed earlier this month, causing one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.
The Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a Washington, DC-area nonprofit, announced the development in anews releaseon Jan. 26.
"The torrent of sewage discharging to the Potomac River for eight straight days is one of the most disturbing things I have seen in 25 years as a Riverkeeper, noting such a spill could lead to harmful algal blooms and fish kills," said Dean Naujoks, of the Potomac Riverkeeper, describing the smell as "vile and putrid."
The Potomac River is 383 miles long and located in the Mid-Atlantic region. It begins in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia and runs to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The river serves as a border between Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
On Jan. 19, a 72-inch diameter pipe section collapsed along the Clara Barton Parkway and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Crews are working to restore full flow through the system and eliminate sewage overflows, DC Water, the authority that provides drinking water and wastewater treatment to the city, said.
Drinking water is not affected as primary drinking water intakes are upstream, the agency added. Photos from the spill site show parts of the river have turned a brown and fecal color.
By Jan. 29, the agency announced no sanitary sewer overflows had escaped from the damaged section in the last 24 hours. Before that, up to 40 million gallons each day were gushing into the river.
Response area video (today)pic.twitter.com/66pUQSp1cn
— DC Water (@dcwater)January 20, 2026
It's unclear exactly how many gallons have entered the Potomac River. However, it is estimated that roughly 300 million gallons have streamed into the body of water.
While the majority of the flow to the river has been contained, the agency is urging residents and visitors to avoid the affected area along Clara Barton Parkway.
Long-lasting impacts of the spill
The spill had "far worse impact than originally contemplated," Potomac Riverkeeper President Betsy Nicholas said.
The nonprofit blamed the disaster on DC Water. "Infrastructure failure is at the root of this disaster – the 6-foot-diameter sewage interceptor pipe located this close to the river should have been better maintained in order to avoid this catastrophe," the organization said.
"DC Water needs to come up with a better plan than using a one-hundred-year-old dry canal ditch to capture and contain future sewage releases instead of discharging hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage to the river," the nonprofit continued.
E. coli data collected by the nonprofit show bacteria nearly 12,000 times what authorities limit for human contact.
E. coli are germs called bacteria, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. They are found in many places, including within the environment, foods, waters and the intestines of people and animals.
Most E. coli are harmless and are part of a healthy intestinal tract. The germs help people digest food, produce vitamins and protect people from harmful germs.
The long-term impact of the spill "cannot be overstated," the Potomac Riverkeeper Network said.
Didn't have "poop water geyser" on your late night bingo card? Neither did we.Check out the original story here:https://t.co/1kE19O5HUt📹️ : The Late Show With Stephen Colbertpic.twitter.com/CWAjAoE0vp
— Washingtonian 🌸 (@washingtonian)January 29, 2026
On the Jan. 28 episode of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," host Stephen Colbert made light of the situation.
"A warning about this next story for any eight-year-olds in the room, you're going to love it," Colbert said. "Washington, D.C. has an unstoppable geyser of poop, and now there's one in the Potomac too."
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Broken pipe causes raw sewage to flood East Coast river