DC Mayor Declares Emergency, Asks Federal Help on Potomac Sewage Spill

Raw sewage flows into the Potomac River after a massive sewage pipe rupture in Glen Echo, Md., on Jan. 23, 2026. Cliff Owen /AP Photo District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser on Feb. 18 declared a local public emergency following a sewage spill on the Potomac River and requested federal assistance from President Donald Trump.