The Potomac River faces more than just surging waters, a sewage leak near Lock 10 caused E. coli levels to spike well beyond safe limits. washington d.c.new tests show contamination levels thousands of times higher than safe for human contact.

Lock 10 is a historic canal lock and restored lockkeeper’s house along the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal. It was originally used to manage ship traffic on the canal in the 19th century and is now preserved as a quiet historic site approximately 5 miles from downtown Washington, DC.

The Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) has released test results of contaminated water along the Potomac River, and PRKN President Betsy Nicholas said the results show the impact is much more severe than initially thought.

The results show, E. coliThis is a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of people and animals and is usually harmless, but when certain toxin-producing strains contaminate food or water, it can cause diarrhea and more serious gastrointestinal illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Tests show that a sewage leak near Lockhouse 10 contaminated the Potomac River and Washington, D.C., waters with E. coli levels nearly 12,000 times above safe limits. (Getty Images)

“These E. coli measurements show contamination levels that are nearly 12,000 times greater than what authorities would limit human exposure to,” Nicholas said. “Nearly 300 million gallons of water have entered the Potomac River so far, and the long-term effects cannot be overstated. We measure according to standards set by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Maryland Department of Environment.”

“We were able to obtain this information thanks to live testing conducted on Friday by Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks and PRKN Volunteer Coordinator Evan Quinter,” she added.

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E. coli is a bacterium commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. It’s usually harmless, but when certain toxin-producing strains contaminate food or water, it can cause diarrhea and more serious gastrointestinal illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iStock)

In addition to the initial findings, additional testing along the Potomac River showed how widespread the contamination was and how drastically bacteria levels varied by location.

Noyocks said the sampling sites were chosen to show the source of the leak, popular public recreation areas and miles downstream in washington d.c.

“We sampled the effluent discharged from the sewage treatment plant. Damaged interceptor pipe “We checked the Potomac River near Lock House 10 and found 4,884,000 MPN (the most likely number for E. coli), which is 11,900 times higher than the 410 MPN limit for safe human exposure,” he said. “Samples taken from the river at the nearby Lock House 10 public river access (where people recreated it) showed values ​​7,000 times higher than the 410 limit.”

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Tests show that a sewage leak near Lockhouse 10 contaminated the Potomac River and Washington, D.C., waters with E. coli levels nearly 12,000 times above safe limits. (iStock)

“We also conducted sampling approximately 4 miles downstream of DC waters at Fletchers Cove, and test data showed E. coli levels 60 times higher than the 410 standard,” he added.

Noyocks said the oil spill was the result of infrastructure failures that he believes could have been avoided through better maintenance and planning.

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“Infrastructure failure is at the root of this disaster – the six-foot-diameter sewer interceptor pipes so close to the river should have been better maintained to avoid this disaster,” Noyocks said.direct water Instead of dumping hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage into rivers, a better plan is needed to capture and contain future sewage discharges than using 100-year-old dry canal ditches. One of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history could have been avoided. “

Fox News Digital has reached out to Washington Water Utilities for comment.