Sewage leak becomes stinker of a Washington political fight

A US Geological Survey (USGS) employee, part of the federal science agency that monitors the nation's natural resources and hazards, collects water samples from Chain Bridge in McLean, Virginia, after a sewage leak released 920 million litres of wastewater into the Potomac River. Photo / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP

The stench has reached the White House: A major sewage leak near Washington is provoking a clash between United States President Donald Trump and a rising Democratic star, Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

One month ago a pipe carrying sewage from the US capital and parts of the neighbouring states of Maryland and Virginia burst, sending hundreds of millions of litres of waste into the Potomac River.

Scientists have detected dangerously high concentrations of bacteria from faecal matter, including E.coli.

With the leak’s Maryland location upriver from Washington, much of it found its way to the waters skirting the US capital.

Today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Moore of having “abandoned and neglected” the 60-year-old pipe, saying the federal Government was ready to step in and help - if asked.

Without such intervention, the Potomac leak would grow into “an ecological and environmental disaster”, she said.

Yesterday, Trump had sent a blunt message on his Truth Social platform to authorities in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington: “if they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed”.

The previous day he had slammed what he called blatant mismanagement of the issue by Democrats, particularly Moore, considered a potential future presidential candidate.

“The president is lying to the public,” Moore posted on X, stating that “the sewage pipe is on federal land”.

Moore has also said the US Environmental Protection Agency was invited to attend a meeting on the infrastructure repairs but refused.

The urgent work is expected to take four to six weeks, followed by a complete overhaul.

While Washington authorities are warning residents to avoid contact with the Potomac River, they say the safety and quality of the region’s drinking water has not been affected.

-Agence France-Presse