Sections of a massive sewage line that burst in January, spilling 243 million gallons of untreated waste into the Potomac River, are in equally bad or worse shape than the part that collapsed, according to a new court filing in a lawsuit against DC Water.
One of those sections of the pipeline, called the Potomac Interceptor, is near the drinking water supply for 1 million Maryland residents, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission said in a court filing Wednesday asking to join a Justice Department lawsuit against the local water authority. A judge approved the request Thursday.
DC Water began emergency repair work in June on the section near WSSC Water’s drinking supply and is expected to complete the work by the end of this month. Still, the remaining weak areas of the pipes pose a threat of further disruption, the memorandum said.
The federal lawsuit seeks financial penalties from DC Water, which the Justice Department said failed to properly operate and maintain the sewer system leading to the leak. WSSC Water, in a proposed complaint, also wants a judge to order DC Water to repair all segments of the pipeline that are “in condition equal to or worse than the segment that collapsed,” among other demands.
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The Interceptor is a 54-mile sewer line carrying 60 million gallons of sewage daily. It was constructed in the 1960s and broke after years of poor maintenance, leading to dangerous E. coli levels and shutting down fish harvesting for almost two months. DC Water had known about the deterioration for at least seven years before the pipe failed.
WSSC Water says the disruption of the Interceptor impeded its ability to treat wastewater and that another burst pipe would risk contaminating drinking water supply.
The agency also pointed to the fiscal impact of the repairs, which it said DC Water estimated will cost $59.3 million. DC Water allocated 30.9% of that cost to WSSC Water and none to itself, WSSC Water’s complaint said. It is unclear which other agencies may have been assigned to pick up the tab by DC Water.
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