ANNAPOLIS, Md. — How do you fix what is being called the largest sewage spill in the region’s history? That was the multi-million-dollar question facing Maryland lawmakers on Friday as they convened a virtual briefing to investigate the catastrophic failure of a 60-year-old sewage pipe in Cabin John.
It has been nearly a month since the 72-inch Potomac Interceptor pipe burst on January 19, spewing an estimated 243 million gallons of raw wastewater into the Potomac River. While DC Water crews race to complete repairs, the political and environmental fallout is only beginning to surface.
A regional crisis moves south
The “outrage” over the spill has followed the millions of gallons of sewage downstream. On the Alexandria waterfront, residents expressed horror at the scale of the contamination.
“I hate it. It’s horrible,” said resident Barry Kessel. “The bad stuff seeps into the water and comes our way, ends up in the Chesapeake Bay and then the ocean.”…