MDE Today: 🌊The Potomac is Our River. We will protect it.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH: Secretary McIlwain joins leadership of WSSC, the primary utility for Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, to honor Maryland’s commitment to clean water and infrastructure.

The Potomac River belongs to Maryland, and we will protect it.

It is our shoreline, our fisheries, and our shared backyard. Families fish from its banks. Watermen depend on it for their livelihood. Communities across our state draw identity and opportunity from its waters.

So when 243 million gallons of untreated wastewater entered the Potomac after the failure of the Potomac Interceptor near Cabin John on Jan. 19, we responded immediately. That won’t stop until remediation is complete.

Today the spill is contained. The temporary bypass system is working, and the immediate discharge into the river, with a daily flow of about 7 billion gallons, has stopped. Crews are clearing debris and stabilizing the collapsed section of pipe so permanent repairs can move forward. Those repairs will take time, and we are preparing for a long recovery.

At the Maryland Department of the Environment, our scientists are monitoring the river every day. We are tracking bacteria levels, nutrients, and impacts to wildlife and fisheries. We issued a temporary halt to shellfish harvesting 60 miles downriver, but sampling has made us confident we can lift that closure on March 10. We are encouraging everyone to continue fishing and crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay, which is showing no effects of this incident. 

Many agencies are involved in this response. The pipe is operated by DC Water. Federal oversight comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. State and regional partners are helping track downstream impacts.

Our role is clear. We will hold the responsible parties accountable. We will require full remediation. 

The good news is that Mother Nature is resilient. Winter flows are helping dilute contamination, and monitoring already shows improving conditions farther downstream.  With warmer weather coming, we will remain vigilant monitoring water quality and working with our utility and governmental partners to help the river recover. 

But recovery does not happen by accident. It happens because people stand up together for the river.

That is exactly what Maryland is doing—and what we will continue to do until this work is finished.