Trump worried about Potomac poop smell ahead of America 250 events
The White House says President Donald Trump is working to fix the sewage smell from the Potomac River.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is worried the stench from a massive sewage spill in the Potomac River could linger in the nation’s capital this summer during his planned celebrations for the country’s 250th birthday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Trump in recent days has blamed Maryland Democrats for the January collapse of a sewage line in the suburbs of Washington that has caused at least 200 million gallons of raw sewage to flow into the Potomac River. The waterway wraps around some of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, including the Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.
Asked during a Feb. 18 news conference about whether the president was concerned the river would “still smell like poop” during major 250th events later this year, Leavitt said Trump “is worried about that.”
“Which is why the federal government wants to fix it,” she said. “And we hope that the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so.”
Does the Potomac River smell like poop?
The sewer line collapsed on Jan. 19 in Cabin John, Maryland, just four miles north of Washington. The University of Maryland has ranked the incident as one of the “largest sewage spills in U.S. history,” and said they detected heightened levels of fecal bacteria and disease-causing pathogens in the river.
Pumps were installed Jan. 24 to divert sewage, and none has flown into the Potomac since Jan. 29. Still, residents in the area say the foul odor is still present in the area. It’s unclear whether the scent could spread to parts of Washington downstream of the spillage.
See Potomac River broken sewer pipe undergoing repairs
A collapsed sewer pipe continues to spill raw sewage into the Potomac River in one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.
Washington’s Department of Energy and Environment has told residents to avoid contact with the Potomac, not to fish in the water and to keep pets away from its banks.
A stench of poop for Trump’s 250 bash?
The Potomac flows along the southwestern edge of Washington, close to some of the city’s biggest tourist destinations, including the National Mall, Georgetown, Nationals Park, where the city’s baseball team plays, and a park that has been floated as a potential site for Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes.
Many of those sites are expected to see an uptick in visitors this year, as Americans flock to the capital city to celebrate the semiquincentennial.
Though events for the country’s milestone birthday are planned across the country, some of the biggest will occur in Washington.
In addition to efforts organized by the bipartisan, congressionally created America 250 commission, Trump has organized a slate of spectacle-drawing events around the Fourth of July.
They so far include an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match on the White House lawn, an IndyCar race around the National Mall and a Great American State Fair, along with a July 4 firework show.
Contributing: Rebecca Morin and N’Dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY.
Karissa Waddick, who covers America’s 250th anniversary for USA TODAY, can be reached at [email protected].
(This story was updated to add a video.)
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