D.C. health officials are lifting a recreational advisory on the Potomac River, citing an improvement in water quality after a sewage line collapsed in January.
A section of the Potomac Interceptor collapsed on Jan. 19, spilling millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the river.
D.C. Health lifted the advisory Monday and said testing showed bacterial levels are within safe ranges for recreation.
“Protecting the health and safety of District residents is our top priority,” Dr. Ayanna Bennett, D.C. Health’s director, said in a statement. “After careful review of the last three weeks of water quality data, we are confident that conditions in the District’s portion of the Potomac River no longer pose an elevated public health risk. This advisory applies only to waters within the District of Columbia, and we encourage residents to follow guidance from neighboring jurisdictions for areas outside the District’s boundaries.”
D.C. Water, which operates the broken pipe, has been doing daily testing of the Potomac River for bacteria since Jan. 29.
According to D.C. Health, E. coli levels have stayed within a normal range for the past 21 days and met standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Swimming isn’t allowed in the Potomac, unless you’re given special permission. But health officials had warned people to avoid contact with the water, and take special care with activities like fishing nearby the spill.
Officials have said the quality of drinking water was not impacted by the collapse.
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