WASHINGTON — President Trump is literally “draining the swamp.”
The commander in chief ordered the feds to intervene and coordinate cleanup efforts in the Potomac River Monday after a six-foot sewer pipe burst open during a cold snap last month.
The pipe — which belongs to DC Water and was located in Cabin John, Md., just northwest of Washington — collapsed on Jan. 19, unleashing approximately 243 million gallons of raw sewage that had overflowed from the collapse site as of Feb. 6, per the utility.
“There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly Governor Wes Moore of Maryland,” Trump chided on Truth Social.
“It is clear Local Authorities cannot adequately handle this calamity,” the president added. “Therefore, I am directing Federal Authorities to immediately provide all necessary Management, Direction, and Coordination to protect the Potomac, the Water Supply in the Capital Region, and our treasured National Resources in our Nation’s Capital City.”
Some local officials have estimated it could take almost 10 months to repair the damaged portion of the 54-mile-long Potomac Interceptor (PI) sewer line.
In the meantime, DC Water crews have scrambled to divert much of the sewage flow.
The Potomac Interceptor system, which is more than six decades old, carries about 60 million gallons of sewage each day from Dulles Airport in northern Virginia through DC.
The water then goes through Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, near the District’s southern border with Maryland, for cleaning before getting discharged into the Potomac.
“Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak,” Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Moore, told The Post. “For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people’s health at risk.”
Experts have dubbed the break one of the largest sewage spills in US history.
Much of the overflow into the Potomac River is believed to have transpired in the first five days after the pipe burst, when about 200 million gallons of wastewater, roughly 2% of the river’s flow, were unleashed.
Local officials have insisted that the sewage spill hasn’t impacted the safety of drinking water.
DC Water has claimed that with one exception, “all downstream sampling locations” were within the EPA’s acceptable range of E. Coli exposure as of Feb. 5, and that bacteria levels have since trended downwards.
Still, last week, DC officials warned residents to “not touch the Potomac River, or engage in any Potomac recreational activities, including fishing.”
The section of the Potomac Interceptor that was affected had been allocated to recieve $600 million for upgrades, The Hill reported.
“While State and Local Authorities have failed to request needed Emergency Help, I cannot allow incompetent Local ‘Leadership’ to turn the River in the Heart of Washington into a Disaster Zone,” Trump chided.
“As we saw in the Palisades [in California], the Democrat War on Merit has real consequences,” he continued. “The Federal Government has no choice, but to step in. FEMA, which is currently being defunded by the Democrats, will play a key role in coordinating the response.”
