MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Tests on samples pulled from the Potomac River have confirmed that the waterway is healthy, months after the collapse of a sewer line led to a sewage spill.
DC Water, which owns and operates the sewer line that runs through a portion of Montgomery County, said in a Wednesday release that the agency carried out multiple tests for more than six months.
Water samples were taken both upstream and downstream of the overflow site and regularly tested for traces of the E.coli bacteria.
While advisories were lifted at the river after bacteria levels returned to normal, officials renewed testing efforts in August "to get a broader picture of the river's health," officials said in the release.
The latest round of tests analyzed a variety of factors, such as oxygen levels, nutrients and metals. Samples were taken five times across six locations in Maryland.
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"We know many in the community, especially people who use the river, have been concerned or had questions," DC Water Interim General Manager Matthew T. Brown said in a statement.
"That is why we did more testing. These results are reassuring. They reconfirm what earlier testing indicated - that the river has returned to normal."
Concerns surrounding the Potomac River hit an all-time high in January when more than 250 million gallons of wastewater flowed into the Potomac River over eight days after the sewer line's collapse.
A 32-page complaint was earlier filed against DC Water over accusations that the utility knew about the faulty infrastructure and had delayed repair work.
It wasn't until mid-March that officials were able to complete all repair work.
Residents can view the latest water sample results at DC Water's monitoring page.
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