On February 16, 2026, pumps and pipes channeled raw sewage into the C&O Canal and around a broken section of the Potomac Interceptor, a 6-foot-wide pipe that collapsed between the Clara Barton Parkway and the canal in Cabin John, Maryland, on January 19.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Tuesday deepened his feud with Democratic leaders in Maryland, Virginia and Washington over a massive sewage spill into the Potomac River, in what is shaping up to be a muddy political battle.
More than 200 million gallons of wastewater have entered the Potomac River in recent weeks. In January, a pipe collapsed in the Potomac Interceptor sewer along Maryland’s Clara Barton Parkway outside the District of Columbia. The pipes and sewers are managed by DC Water, an independent utility company that serves the metropolitan area and manages disasters.
President Trump on Tuesday called on local Democratic leaders to help clean up the spill, but appeared to backtrack after his administration announced on Monday that it would take over the recovery effort.
“Both governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C., must act immediately,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, referring to Democratic governors. Wes Moore of Maryland, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, also a Democrat. “If they can’t do their job, they have to call me and politely ask me to fix the problem. The federal government has no involvement in what happened, but we can fix the problem.”
President Trump on Monday singled out Moore in another Truth Social post about the spill, saying it was “the result of gross mismanagement by local Democratic leaders, especially Maryland Governor Wes Moore.”
The sewer dispute comes amid a series of feuds the president has waged with state officials, particularly Moore, who is considered a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. It’s also the latest example of Mr. Trump using the bullish pulpit of his presidency to bash his political opponents, including Mr. Moore.
In a post on X, Moore responded to Trump’s post by saying the spill is “basically under control” and instead asked the White House for emergency funding to help the state recover from last year’s flooding.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore speaks on the day President Joe Biden visits the Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland, October 29, 2024.
Elizabeth Franz | Reuters
Moore’s press secretary, Ammar Moussa, said Trump, not Maryland, was responsible for the Potomac missile interceptor, accusing the president of shirking responsibility.
“Since the last century, the federal government has held the Potomac Interceptor responsible for causing sewage leaks,” Musa said in a statement. “Clearly, the Trump administration did not get the memo that they should actually be in charge here. Despite the president’s inaction, Maryland did its part to protect its residents, protect its drinking water, and ensure accountability.”
Moore’s office said the Potomac Interceptor is owned and operated by DC Water and is therefore part of a federally regulated infrastructure overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The governor’s office added that it would be happy to cooperate with federal authorities if they are willing to assist with recovery.
“If the federal government is willing to act now, we will continue to respond collaboratively, as always, and keep the public informed about the federal government’s plans to repair the damage,” Musa said. “The Potomac River is not a talking point, and the people of this region deserve serious leadership in a timely manner.”
But the White House is doubling down on the responsibility of locally elected Democrats.
“President Trump will not allow the failures of local and state Democrats to reduce the quality of life for millions of Americans,” White House Press Secretary Taylor Rogers told CNBC. “In keeping with the President’s promise to make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful, President Trump may be forced to intervene to resolve this disaster caused by the Democrats, whose gross mismanagement led to millions of gallons of raw sewage being dumped into the Potomac River.”
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Maryland is responsible for enforcing water quality standards for the Potomac River within the state’s borders and “regulations that require wastewater utilities to report, monitor and mitigate unauthorized releases that affect the state’s surface waters.”
DC Water said the sewage leak has not affected Washington’s drinking water supply. The overflow stopped in late January, and sewage is now being diverted around the broken pipe. However, the district’s Energy and Environment Department warned residents to avoid the river as untreated sewage was being released into the river. The Potomac River is the District of Columbia’s source of drinking water and a popular destination for kayaking and other recreation.
The Environmental Protection Agency said it can assist with recovery efforts if requested.
“D.C. Water or the State of Maryland never asked EPA to take over its responsibilities, and EPA has continued to provide full support to state and local leaders from the beginning. We stand ready to step in and support our talented teams at any time,” the EPA Office of Media Affairs said in a statement to CNBC.
“The Potomac Interceptor flooding is a sewage crisis of historic proportions. America’s families, communities, and waterways should never experience this level of massive environmental damage,” the news station said.
