The Potomac River is now the country’s most endangered river, according to a new report from conservation organization American Rivers.
American Rivers pointed to two factors putting the river at risk in 2026. The first is the historic sewage spill in January that dumped between 200 million and 300 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac. It also points to the “rapidly expanding footprint of water-intensive data centers” in the region, which threatens water supply.
Regarding the sewage spill, American Rivers said this incident “exposed an urgent threat” of aging wastewater infrastructure. Many of the pipes around the region have exceeded their 50-year design life, it said, including the Potomac Interceptor.
“The Potomac Interceptor failure was a wake-up call: hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage polluted this river, and our communities are still waiting for answers,” said David Flores, vice president and general counsel for Potomac Riverkeeper Network.
Data Centers Strain Area Water Resources
The report also noted that the rapid expansion of data centers in the region is happening without watershed analysis. In many cases, data centers face no requirements for stormwater treatment, remediation planning, or disclosure of water use, American Rivers said.
A recent study from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin also examined data center water use, noting that data center expansion could put a strain on water resources. Data centers use water to cool their IT systems.
“Data Centers are developing in our region with few regulations or accountability for how they use or impact the Potomac watershed. This rapidly developing industry threatens the Potomac through both water use and increased pollution,” said Lydia Lawrence, director of conservation for Nature Forward.
After the Potomac, the next-most endangered rivers on American Rivers’ list were California’s San Juaquin River, Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, and North and South Carolina’s Lumber River. The Dan River, which flows through southern Virginia, was No. 8 on the list.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
