Sewage spill sends E coli surging in the Potomac River near DC

The Potomac is facing much than unsmooth waters aft a sewage spill adjacent Lockhouse 10 sent E. coli levels soaring acold beyond harmless limits successful Washington, D.C., with caller investigating revealing contamination thousands of times higher than what’s considered harmless for quality contact.

Lockhouse 10 is simply a historical canal fastener and restored lockkeeper’s location on the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, primitively utilized to negociate vessel postulation connected the 19th-century canal and present preserved arsenic a quiescent historical tract astir 5 miles from the bosom of Washington, D.C.

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) released trial results from contaminated h2o on the Potomac River that PRKN President Betsy Nicholas said amusement impacts acold worse than initially believed.

The results showed elevated levels of E. coli bacteria, a benignant of bacteria commonly recovered successful the intestines of radical and animals that are usually harmless but tin origin diarrhea and much superior gastrointestinal unwellness erstwhile definite toxin-producing strains contaminate nutrient oregon water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Testing shows a sewage spill adjacent Lockhouse 10 sent E. coli levels astir 12,000 times supra harmless limits, contaminating the Potomac River and Washington, D.C. waters. (Getty Images)

"These measurements of E. coli bacteria amusement contamination which is astir 12,000 times what authorities bounds for quality contact," Nicholas said. "So far, astir 300 cardinal gallons person entered the Potomac River, and the semipermanent interaction cannot beryllium overstated. We measured against standards established by Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality and Maryland’s Department of the Environment.

"We were capable to get this accusation acknowledgment to real-time investigating conducted Friday by Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper, and Evan Quinter, PRKN unpaid coordinator," she added.

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E. coli is simply a benignant of bacteria commonly recovered successful the intestines of radical and animals. It is usually harmless but tin origin diarrhea and much superior gastrointestinal unwellness erstwhile definite toxin-producing strains contaminate nutrient oregon water, according to the CDC. (iStock)

Beyond the archetypal findings, further investigating conducted on the Potomac River shows however acold the contamination dispersed and however dramatically bacteria levels varied depending connected location.

Naujoks said the sampling locations were chosen to amusement contamination astatine the root of the spill, astatine fashionable nationalist recreation areas and miles downstream successful Washington, D.C.

"We sampled the sewage discharging from the breached interceptor tube to the Potomac River adjacent Lock 10 and the effect was 4,884,000 MPN – Most Probable Number for E. coli – which is 11,900 times higher than the 410 MPN bounds for harmless quality contact," helium said. "Very nearby, samples collected from the stream astatine the Lock House 10 nationalist stream entree wherever radical recreate showed values were 7,000 times supra the 410 limit. 

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Testing shows a sewage spill adjacent Lockhouse 10 sent E. coli levels astir 12,000 times supra harmless limits, contaminating the Potomac River and Washington, D.C. waters. (iStock)

"We besides sampled astir 4 miles downstream successful D.C. waters astatine Fletchers Cove, wherever investigating information revealed E. coli levels were 60 times higher than the 410 standard," helium added.

Naujoks said the spill was the effect of infrastructure failures that helium argues could person been prevented with amended attraction and planning.

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"Infrastructure nonaccomplishment is astatine the basal of this catastrophe – the six-foot-diameter sewage interceptor tube located this adjacent to the stream should person been amended maintained to debar this catastrophe," Naujoks said. "DC Water needs to travel up with a amended program than utilizing a 100-year-old adust canal ditch to seizure and incorporate aboriginal sewage releases alternatively of discharging hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage to the river. One of the largest sewage spills successful U.S. past could person been avoided."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to DC Water for remark connected the matter.