On January 19, 2026, DC Water experienced a structural collapse on a section of the Potomac Interceptor - one of the region’s largest and most critical wastewater conveyance assets. Since that day, our teams have been fully focused on responding to the incident with urgency, protecting the environment, and restoring this vital piece of infrastructure as safely and efficiently as possible.
We recognize that events like this raise important questions for our community, our partners, and the public we serve. Those questions are both understandable and appropriate. People want to know why this occurred, whether it could have been anticipated, and how similar incidents can be prevented in the future.
This packet is intended to provide important context and transparency around those questions.
As part of our review, DC Water leadership and engineering teams conducted a thorough examination of the most recent documents related to this section of the Potomac Interceptor. This review included inspection reports, structural condition ratings, engineering assessments, repair schedules, and video documentation.
In the materials included below, you will find additional information explaining how DC Water evaluates the structural condition of our large-diameter sewer infrastructure, how inspection data informs engineering judgment, and how repair priorities are determined across a complex regional system that spans more than 54 miles.
Documents
The following packet includes the inspection reports for the the Potomac Interceptor that includes the section where the collapse occurred, an engineering review of inspection reports, and a technical briefing on what the reports show.
Potomac Interceptor Inspection Reports
Videos
October 2024 CCTV Inspection
June 2024 CCTV Inspection
July 2021 CCTV Inspection
December 2017 Inspection
