On the 19th of January earlier this year, 200 million gallons of sewage water spilled into the Potomac in Montgomery County, Maryland. This obviously had long-reaching negative effects, as it caused possibly dozens of overflows, and the seawater reached through the river, reaching all the way to us, in Fairfax. In February, this water was rerouted to return to the sewer, and reports were made, with officials stating that resolving this issue, and strengthening the sewage system was a top priority.
Despite this, news on the subject slowly dwindled into non-existence, and most forgot about the incident altogether. While the official Virginia department of health states it’s not anything to worry about, there is still a cause for concern in specific instances, primarily the regulations we have in Fairfax regarding the Potomac.
Per a new article posted by the Washington post on April 3rd, they learned that the delayed construction of the sewage system and its repeated delays have led to the D.C. Water, and the National Park Service, blaming each other. A Washington post investigative reporter, Aaron David, was the primary reporter for the story. In the story, David said,“Well, we’ve done inspections, and we weren’t expecting anything to be a problem anytime soon in this particular section.” The article goes on to explain that D.C. Water asked the National Park Service in 2018 to fix a three quarter mile stretch to reinforce the whole thing, but according to them, the whole endeavor fell off the rails.
Regardless of whose fault it truly is, the question is, how is the water now where we live? Well, while Fairfax was affected by the spillage back in January, it saw very minor effects; simply a state of caution when it came to fishing or swimming in certain areas, however drinking was always unaffected. However, in April, word of warning regarding the Potomac and waterways in Fairfax practically ceased to exist. A few weeks ago, restrictions on fishing were removed, and despite the VDH’s cautionary statements, advising anyone who interacts with the Potomac to wash their equipment or clothes thoroughly, it’s not an abnormal rule of thumb for interacting with any major body of water, especially those close to cities.
There are still quite a few people who spread words of caution regarding the sewage spill, with many warning not to let any of the Potomac’s water near your face, and to simply avoid the risk of getting wet altogether. While it is true that there has not been an official statement that the cause of the spill has been fully resolved, and the improvements to the area still seem to be incomplete, it’s safe to say that the drinking water is fine, and that it is most likely, that any activities you want to do around the Potomac or connected waterways, are completely okay. Still, it’s recommended you don’t get you, or a pet into a situation where you get any of the river water in your face straight from the source (which is normal to avoid even without a sewage spill), but overall, there is nothing to worry about. Whether someone finally takes the blame, or fully resolves the issue is unanswered, meaning all we can do is wait and see.
