President Donald Trump is deploying the Federal Emergency Management Agency to spearhead efforts to control a wastewater spill in the Potomac River that is considered by experts to be the largest in U.S. history.
Trump lambasted regional Democratic leaders as “incompetent,” alleging that it was becoming “clear” that “local authorities cannot adequately handle this calamity.”
“I am directing Federal Authorities to immediately provide all necessary Management, Direction, and Coordination to protect the Potomac, the Water Supply in the Capital Region, and our treasured National Resources in our Nation’s Capital City,” the president posted on Truth Social on Monday.
Moving forward, FEMA will be playing a “key role in coordinating the response” to the wastewater spillage, Trump said.
The ecological disaster began after a sewage pipe in Montgomery County, Maryland, collapsed last month, dumping over 200 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac.
An alternative route for the water to flow has been temporarily constructed by local authorities, but officials claim a full repair of the broken pipe could take over nine months.
Public health officials say the spill did not have a major impact on the quality of local drinking water but discouraged residents from using the Potomac River.
Trump said on Monday that the government had “no choice” but to lead the reconstruction effort, expressing ire at a frequent foe of his, Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD). He accused Moore of “gross mismanagement” of Maryland’s infrastructure.
“While State and Local Authorities have failed to request needed Emergency Help, I cannot allow incompetent Local ‘Leadership’ to turn the River in the Heart of Washington into a Disaster Zone,” Trump wrote in his post. “As we saw in the Palisades, the Democrat War on Merit has real consequences. The Federal Government has no choice, but to step in.”
A spokesperson for Moore’s office, however, has countered that the federal government is the one responsible for the operation of the Potomac Interceptor — the point in the pipeline where the leak began — not Maryland.
“If the federal government is just now showing up to take action, we will work collaboratively — as we always do — to be responsive and keep the public informed about the federal government’s plan to remediate the damage,” Moore’s office said.
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Authorities are currently most concerned about the risk of E. coli bacteria contaminating the river.
Those fears are heightened as the temperatures in the Washington, D.C., area rise this month, threatening to thaw previously frozen bacteria and increase contamination.
