Everyone agrees that a spill of nearly 250 million gallons of raw sewage is an ecological emergency and an environmental disaster. Drinking water was not affected by the rupture, according to DC Water. Authorities have scrambled to slow the spill and divert sewage into the area’s historic canal system. Moore argued the federal government is already responsible since the pipe in question belongs to DC Water and sits on federal land. Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin was more even-keeled about the sewage spill in his description of the disaster in a Tuesday tweet.

Source: CNN February 20, 2026 15:23 UTC