On January 19, 2026, a 6-foot-wide section of the Potomac Interceptor pipeline burst underneath Cabin John, Maryland, dumping hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River. Some frequent users of the river report increased stress, fear for the future and a collapse of trust in DC Water, Washington’s water utility.
The sun rises over Arlington, Va., and the Potomac River on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. A sewage pipeline known as the Potomac Interceptor burst on Jan. 19, releasing millions of gallons of sewage into the river and creating the largest wastewater spill in American history.DC Water Chief Executive Officer David Gadis listens as Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks speaks at a question-and-answer section at the utility company’s community meeting in Bethesda, Md on Feb. 26, 2026. Some guests, like Naujoks, took a confrontational tone during the question-and-answer segment of the meaning, accusing DC Water of negligence leading up to the ecological disaster. DC Water officials said they had not yet discovered the root cause of the Jan. 19 collapse.University of Maryland School of Public Health PhD candidates Claire Barlow, left, and Kathryn Dixon take water samples from the Potomac River on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, after a broken pipeline released millions of gallons of sewage into the river the previous month. The leak has been declared the largest wastewater spill in American history.Sewage fills the C&O Canal as a sign warns passerby to avoid the water on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. DC Water routed sewage into the C&O Canal, a national historical park, after the pipeline burst. Rick Duffy, a Cabin John resident, said the canal is central to life in Cabin John. Everyone in the community uses the path, Duffy said, himself included. For months, fencing covered large swathes of the recreational area along the canal.A customer browses for fishing flies at District Angling in Arlington, Va., on Saturday, May 2, 2026. District Angling has seen demand plummet this season, from the combined effects of the sewage spill, drought, inflation and structural changes in the outdoor equipment industry.Cabinets for fishing flies sit empty at District Angling in Arlington, Va., on Saturday, May 2, 2026. District Angling saw demand plummet in the spring of 2026, due to combined effects of drought, inflation, structural changes in the outdoor equipment industry and the Potomac Interceptor collapse.Washington Canoe Club member David Cottingham poses for a portrait at the club’s grounds in Washington on March 1, 2026. During the warmer months, Cottingham said, he paddles on the Potomac River two to three times a week. In the wake of the Potomac Interceptor collapse, he is cautious to return to the water until he is sure it is safe to touch.Glen Echo, Md., Mayor Dia Costello poses for a portrait in the Glen Echo Town Hall on Friday, March 20, 2026. Costello is navigating Montgomery County’s various overlapping jurisdictions in leading the town’s response to the Potomac Interceptor collapse.Fisherman Papoose Smith checks his lines on April 25, 2026. He is taking care to avoid making contact with river water. He runs a nonprofit that takes at-risk youth from Southeast Washington on natural excursions, but the idea of taking them fishing in Potomac worries him about their safety.
