Norton to Question Witnesses on Potomac River Sewage Spill and Study on Secondary Drinking Water Source for D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her question line ahead of today’s Transportation & Infrastructure hearing on the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), where she’ll question Lt. Gen. William H. Graham, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, about the study she got authorized to identify a secondary drinking water source for D.C. Norton will also address the recent sewage spill in the Potomac River, which underscores the need for the District to have a secondary drinking water source. The Potomac River is the sole source of drinking water for the District. 

“The recent wastewater spill into the Potomac River is a stark reminder that our capital’s water infrastructure remains dangerously vulnerable. Clean water is not optional; it is fundamental to public health and safety. This incident underscores the urgent need for a secondary drinking water source for the District so that residents are not left at the mercy of a single, aging system. We must act to protect our environment and the health of every family in our city.”

Norton’s question line follows, as prepared for delivery.

Question Line of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Hearing

February 24, 2026

The Army Corps supplies the District of Columbia’s drinking water, and the Potomac River is the only source of that drinking water. With only one day of backup water supply, man-made or natural events that make the river unusable for drinking water would put residents, the federal government and the regional economy at risk. 

In 2022, at my request, Congress authorized the Corps to conduct a feasibility study of a “project for water supply, including the identification of a secondary water source and additional water storage capability for the Washington Metropolitan Area.”  Congress has since appropriated $2,300,000 for the study.

Two weeks ago, the Corps informed me that it will likely limit the scope of the study to an expansion of the existing primary storage basin.  That violates both the study’s authorization and appropriation.  Expansion of the reservoir is not a secondary water source. 

• Lieutenant General Graham, why has the Corps decided to limit the study to the expansion of the reservoir?
• Will you commit to expanding the scope of the study to identifying a secondary water source and additional water storage capability, as required by federal law?
• What is the federal government’s plan to provide emergency drinking water to D.C. in the event the Potomac River becomes unusable for drinking water, as could have happened had a different portion of the Potomac Interceptor collapsed last month?

Last month, a section of the Potomac Interceptor collapsed, causing hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater to flow into the Potomac River.  Not only is this an environmental disaster, but it also underscored the urgency of a secondary drinking water source.

• Lieutenant General Graham, will the Corps provide D.C. Water financial assistance for the long-term rehabilitation of the Potomac Interceptor?

###