US President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to help manage a sewage spill that has led to millions of gallons of wastewater flowing into the Potomac River, which runs through the nation’s capital.
In a social media post on Monday, Trump ordered federal authorities to “immediately provide all necessary Management, Direction, and Coordination to protect the Potomac”, saying local leaders were turning the river “into a Disaster Zone”.
Part of a sewer line in Maryland collapsed in late January, creating what public health experts say is one of the largest sewage spills in US history.
The river originates in West Virginia and flows through Maryland and Washington to the Chesapeake Bay.
Trump said that going forward, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will lead the response.
But he noted that FEMA’s funding is currently frozen after DHS ran out of money last week. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are in a standoff over funding for the department, as Democrats demand it make changes to its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, and they are not expected to approve a new DHS spending bill until the end of the month, at the earliest.
On 19 January, officials discovered a rupture in a section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line, which is managed by the DC Water and Sewer Authority.
This break caused the “uncontrolled overflow of wastewater into the Potomac River”, DC Water said in a press release, adding that since then, crews have been working around the clock to contain the overflow.
Washington and Maryland officials say the spill has not impacted drinking water, but have still advised residents to stay away from the Potomac River.
Sampling of the river’s water has revealed concentrations of E. coli and MRSA bacteria, which can lead to serious health problems, according to local researchers.
In a public hearing on Friday, DC Water officials said the rupture could take several weeks to fix – and that it could take months to make permanent repairs to the collapsed line.
Trump in his social media post blamed Democratic leaders in Maryland for the “massive Ecological Disaster”, specfically accusing Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who frequently clashes with him, of “gross mismanagement”.
“It is clear Local Authorities cannot adequately handle this calamity,” he said, adding, “The Federal Government has no choice, but to step in.”
Moore’s office says that since the Potomac Interceptor is managed by Washington DC officials, the response is actually the responsibility of the federal government, not the state of Maryland.
“The President has his facts wrong – again,” Moore’s spokesperson Ammar Moussa told the BBC. “For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people’s health at risk.”
By BBC News
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