Whenever it rains in Washington, D.C., raw sewage spills into the Potomac River. These Combined Sewer Overflows release pollutants like fecal coliform bacteria and e. coli into the waterway that can sicken animals, fish, and humans, and deplete oxygen levels causing harmful algal blooms. An outdated sewer system is to blame.
“After the Storm: Pollution in the Potomac” investigates the all-too-common problem of wastewater overflows, and reveals a remarkable network of underground tunnels being constructed below the nation’s capital to try to keep the toxic tide of pollutants from reaching the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.
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