An ecological crisis of "historic proportion" is underway in the Potomac River after a massive sewer pipe collapse north of Washington, D.C., the U.S.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared local public emergency regarding the sewage spill in the Potomac River, according to the Mayor’s Office. The declaration allowed her to also make a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration request,

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared an emergency and requested that President Donald Trump provide federal resources to help the city fight a sewage system leak that has dumped millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River in its early stages.

A sewer line breach in Maryland in January sent more than 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.

Officials say a 60-year-old sewage line in Maryland ruptured last month, releasing more than 240 million gallons of raw waste into the Potomac River — the same river that flows past landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

With 300 million gallons of sewage entering the Potomac River, Potomac Riverkeeper Network President Betsy Nichols believes it could lead to dead zones.

White House press secetary Karoline Leavitt said Feb. 18, 2026, that President Donald Trump is worried the Potomac River might still stink from the sewage leak by the summer during America250 events.

DC Water on Monday said it expects its emergency repairs to the Potomac Interceptor sewer line, which collapsed and flooded the river with wastewater, could take four to six weeks. The local utility company said it was close to completing an enhanced bypass system “that will allow emergency repairs to begin on a damaged

FNC's Peter Doocy asked the White House on Wednesday whether the president is worried that by the country's 250th anniversary celebration this summer, the Potomac River will still "smell like poop." Read more: So There’s 300 Million Gallons of Poop Water in the Potomac River "He is worried about that,