The Justice Department and Maryland’s state environmental department separately sued DC Water on Monday over the pipe collapse that leaked millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River in February.
In separate lawsuits, both entities alleged that the D.C. utility neglected to properly maintain the faulty section of the Potomac Interceptor, the sewer line that carries wastewater from Maryland and Virginia to its treatment plant in Washington.
Federal government lawyers said in a court filing that DC Water’s mitigation efforts after the spill were “sorely lacking,” leading President Donald Trump to issue a federal emergency declaration and compel the Environmental Protection Agency to take charge of the cleanup.