Ice and Sewage on the Potomac

Typically ice and poo are only things you need to worry about at the same time after 13 hours of ice fishing on Lake Winnibigoshish. However for rowers in Washington DC we now get to think about the dynamic duo. The frozen river is pretty self explanatory, and we get to discuss a double dose of poo both at TBC and upstream at the spill. 

Ice Ice Baby

Use of the Potomac and Occoquan Rivers are both currently blocked by frozen conditions. Insiders report 6.5 inches of solid ice at the docks at the Oxford Boathouse in Lake Ridge VA. Shady conditions in the cove are likely to keep the ice there for the foreseeable future. 

The Potomac River meanwhile is seeing some signs of thawing. Open and flowing water is visible by the 14th Street Bridge. Visible thinning ice is starting to become visible by Thompsons Boat Center and Potomac Boat Club. Both facilities still have their docks pulled from the water under conditions allow reinstallation. The river will likely thaw out relatively quickly with a combination of these higher temps, brackish water, tides/flow, and direct sunlight on the surface.

Potomac River from TBC

Sewage #1 (Plumbing at TBC)

After more than a full year, plumbing is expected to be fully restored at Thompsons Boat Center. Management at GSI indicated that the repairs are almost completed and they are just waiting on a few more parts to be delivered to finish the project. 

The plumbing is expected to be fully operational by the time the facility opens on March 1. This is bad news for people who loved the porta-potties, good news for people who are excited to have the locker room back, and great news for people who love the ground floor restroom sauna in the winter. 

TBC Water/Sewer construction progress

Sewage #2 (Potomac Interceptor Collapse)

The Potomac River is facing a severe ecological crisis following the January 19, 2026, collapse of the Potomac Interceptor pipeline. Approximately 300 million gallons of raw sewage have flooded the waterway, leading to "stratospheric" bacteria levels.

At Fletchers Cove, independent testing initially recorded E. coli levels 60 times higher than the safe limit. While DC Water reported some downstream improvements, recent data from February 8 showed levels at Fletchers Boathouse still reaching 260 MPN/100 mL. Near Georgetown at Wisconsin Avenue, readings have fluctuated, dropping from a peak of 18,600 MPN/100 mL on January 29 to 43 MPN/100 mL by February 8.

These figures remain a stark contrast to the EPA recommendation for swimming, which sets the safety threshold at 410 MPN/100 mL. 

Everyone is hoping that the number continue to drop now that DC Water has the overflow largely contained to the C&O Canal upstream in order to divert around the broken pipe. This situation will be watched very closely over the next 2.5 weeks until docks are reinstalled on the Potomac.

If you're wondering how YOU can help... if you live in Maryland for the love of god stop flushing wipes down the toilet.