# Sewage leak in DC area

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewage-leak-in-dc-area/1027884>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** trump\
**Created:** [February 22, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewage-leak-in-dc-area/1027884 "2026-02-22T04:33:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewage-leak-in-dc-area/1027884/1 "2026-02-22T04:33:56Z")

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Apparently there is a major sewer leak in the DC area which has led to a declaration of emergency.

You’d _think_, symbolism aside, that this would be a relatively bipartisan issue, but there is still finger pointing because, if I understand correctly, the leak happened outside of DC proper, but in a system that DC manages, and is on federal property, and Trump is blaming Maryland and vice versa. But this is the first I’ve heard of the month-long leak, so I may be mistaken.

But despite having gone on for a month, this still seems serious since it is dumping large amounts of untreated sewage into the Potomac.

(Only nag-walled. That’s why I occasionally subscribe to the Guardian because they don’t block off their site to non-subscribers.)

> **[Trump approves federal emergency declaration for Potomac River sewage spill](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/21/trump-emergency-potomac-sewage-spill)**
>
> Millions of gallons of raw sewage have been pouring into the water through a ruptured pipe since last month

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**Author:** ![BobEmbl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@BobEmbl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobEmbl)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewage-leak-in-dc-area/1027884/2 "2026-02-22T12:54:00Z")

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If DC manages the system, then DC needs to manage the system. Why would it be the responsibility of a jurisdiction that does NOT manage the system? If they are unable, but have the responsibility, then they must give responsibility to someone who is able to keep raw sewage out of our waterways.

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sewage-leak-in-dc-area/1027884/3 "2026-02-22T14:45:21Z")

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> [@Ludovic](#):
>
> But despite having gone on for a month, this still seems serious since it is dumping large amounts of untreated sewage into the Potomac.

When can we expect RFK to do a polar bear plunge?