A lawsuit was against the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) on Wednesday, alleging that the one of the company's water-treatment plants have been illegally dumping sludge into the Potomac River, violating their state permit.
WSSC's treatment plant provides drinking water primarily for Montgomery residents, and draw roughly 124 million gallons of water from the Potomac each day. To remain in accordance with their permit, WSSC is required to truck any sediment and chemicals to a landfill. The exception is during heavy rainfall when operators may discharge some of the extracted material into the river.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Potomac Riverkeeper, the environmental groups who filed the lawsuit, allege the WSSC have discharged sludge during times that are not covered by the high-water exception. This excess sludge discharge can stress the plants and animals in the river, and aluminum used by the plant can poison fish.
Read More at the Washington Post
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