The White House said Wednesday that President Donald Trump doesn't want the nation's 250th birthday celebration overshadowed by the smell of sewage along the Potomac River.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is concerned the odor could linger into July and that he is closely monitoring the ongoing sewage leak into the river. She added that he expects Maryland's state and local officials to work with FEMA and other federal agencies to fix the problem he says they created.
"He is worried about that, which is why the federal government wants to fix it," Leavitt said during Wednesday's press briefing when asked if Trump is worried about the Potomac smelling "like poop."
"And we hope the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so."
Trump said Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., must act immediately to address the sewage spill in the Potomac River, warning that they should request federal assistance if "they can't do the job."
Earlier, Trump directed federal authorities to provide "management, direction, and coordination" to safeguard the region's water supply after a sewer line breach released raw sewage into the Potomac River.
The spill occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland, along Clara Barton Parkway, which hugs the northern edge of the Potomac River near Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park.
The spill was caused by a 72-inch sewer pipe that collapsed in January, sending sewage out of the ground and into the river.
DC Water spokesperson John Lisle said the utility estimates the overflow at about 40 million gallons a day, enough to fill about 66 Olympic-size swimming pools, but it's not clear exactly how much has spilled into the river since the overflow began.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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