Many of you sailors may have heard of the massive sewage spill into the Potomac upstream from Georgetown. It is more or less contained, though repairs may involve additional sewage release(s). Repairs are reported to take 4-6 weeks. The level of pollution reported varies by reporting source.

In an abundance of caution faced with very limited current information, the  PRSA board has decided to suspend use of the committee boats, which also means the suspension of the Laser Frostbite Series. We will be reviewing this suspension as frequently as we get new and reassuring information. We regret the lack of sailing opportunities in the meantime.

We are basing our decision on the information provided in the Potomac Riverkeeper webinar on February 11th. During the webinar, the Riverkeeper, a watchdog group, shared data collected in partnership with the University of Maryland showing elevated E. coli levels near the spill site (up to ~4,000 times safe levels) and several miles downriver. They also found Staph and MRSA (antibiotic-resistant Staph) near the spill site and Staph at several stations downriver. As of last week, the area off WSM appears to be within EPA safe limits for E. coli.  

However, the Riverkeeper emphasized that the spill situation is very much in flux: additional releases are possible as DC Water continues to make repairs over the next 4-6 weeks, and there are many uncertainties related to how melting ice and increasing temperatures will impact water quality in the river, especially downstream. Critically, there are no public agencies regularly sampling the water (e.g., daily) at multiple locations downriver, nor are any state or federal entities (with the exception of MD) stepping up to issue public health advisories. Without trusted data and information available on a regular basis, it is impossible to be confident that our sailing area is safe on a given Sunday. This shouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately, it is.

There is much more to this story as noted in the attached summary, which also includes a link to the recording.

If you would like to support spill-related efforts, consider donating to the Riverkeeper and signing an advocacy letter pushing for health advisories from local agencies.

Ed Ryan

Secretary PRSA