The U.S. capital has declared a state of emergency in response to sewage leaks

The Office of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., issued a statement on the 18th stating that Mayor Bowser announced the city has declared a state of emergency and requested President Trump to provide federal resources to address the sewage leak into the Potomac River. The statement said the city government has requested Trump to issue a “Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration” to enable the federal government to cover the full costs associated with handling the sewage leak. The statement also called for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to lead the establishment of an inter-agency coordination mechanism and requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to participate in assessing water and sewage systems, with the Small Business Administration providing financial support as needed. The statement noted that, as of now, local environmental assessments show that the levels of E. coli in Washington’s waters remain below the safety threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency for full-body contact (water recreation activities). However, the statement still advised the public to temporarily avoid direct contact with the Potomac River water. On January 19th, a large sewage pipeline near Washington in Maryland ruptured, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River. The river flows through Washington and is one of the city’s major sources of drinking water. The University of Maryland stated that this incident is considered one of the largest sewage leaks in U.S. history. (Xinhua)