President Donald Trump has approved emergency aid to Washington, D.C., to help the city address a sewer system leak that has dumped at least 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
Washington– President Donald Trump has approved emergency aid to Washington, D.C., to help the city address the situation Sewer system leak Which is dumped at least 250 million gallons of raw wastewater To the Potomac River.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Trump’s approval on Saturday, allowing FEMA to provide equipment and resources to help respond to the spill that occurred on January 19 after a pipeline explosion.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser She requested federal aid on Wednesday A state of emergency was declared.
Trump’s approval of the disaster relief request comes after he criticized the handling of the spill, blaming local Democratic leaders and focusing in particular on Democratic Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
In his social media posts criticizing the response, he said that local officials had not requested emergency assistance and that he intended to intervene.
However, the federal government has already been involved in fixing and assessing the impact of the spill through the Environmental Protection Agency.
The 72-inch (183 cm) diameter pipeline, known as the Potomac Interceptor, burst on January 19, sending 250 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River in northern Washington in its first five days.
The leak is largely under control, but it could take months to completely repair the pipe. The local water utility, DC Water, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, is working to fix the leak and monitor the impact on the river.
Officials said drinking water in the area is safe, but people using the Potomac River for recreation have been warned not to come into direct contact with the water.