Montgomery County authorities have removed their last health advisory for the Potomac River more than six months after a sewage spill flooded the waterway with disease-carrying bacteria.
Sediment tests from the Maryland Department of Environment determined late last month that the amount of bacteria had fallen to a safe level.
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services said it lifted its water-contact advisory in response, allowing recreational activity between Lock 11 of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the shoreline surrounding Minnie’s Island.
“The public should be aware that the Potomac River, like other natural bodies of water, inherently contains varying levels of bacteria,” the county’s notice reads. “Everyone should avoid ingesting any water from the Potomac River as much as possible. Pets, children, and individuals with underlying health conditions are at greater risk of bacterial infection if they ingest water.”
The advisory was the last health warning from January’s historic sewage spill.
A key sewage line ruptured in Montgomery County and sent nearly 250 million gallons of untreated human waste into the river. It has been noted as the worst sewage spill in U.S. history.
Fecal matter that contained volatile levels of E. Coli, antibiotic-resistant strains of MRSA and Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria that cause staph infections, was detected in the water near where the pipe broke in Montgomery County.
No drinking water was contaminated in the spill, but recreational activity on the river was shut down for weeks as health officials worked to cleanse the waterway. The Potomac Interceptor sewer line was repaired this spring, and officials are looking to fully replace the troubled section of the pipe by the end of this year.
The environmental disaster led to some verbal sparring between President Trump and the region’s Democrat-heavy leadership about who was to blame.
But the issue has largely transitioned into a legal battle as the Department of Justice and Maryland filed lawsuits against DC Water, the utility company that manages the Potomac Interceptor.
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