Conservation groups raise alarm as Potomac River named most endangered in US
News ClipThe Northern Virginia Daily·VA·4/19/2026
The Potomac River has been named the most endangered river in the country due to a massive sewage spill and the increasing water demands from data centers in its watershed, particularly Northern Virginia. Conservation groups are urging federal, state, and local governments to invest in infrastructure and implement policies to protect the river from unchecked data center expansion.
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Gov: American Rivers, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Nature Forward, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, Federal Legislators, State Legislators, Local Legislators
The national nonprofit American Rivers has designated the Potomac River as the most endangered river in the U.S., citing a recent 243-million-gallon sewage spill and the escalating water consumption by data centers in the watershed. Pat Calvert, Virginia conservation director for American Rivers, warned that the river's rapid expansion of water-guzzling data centers is unsustainable and urged immediate action.
The Potomac River serves as the primary drinking water source for over six million people, including Washington D.C. and surrounding areas, across Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. Conservation groups, including American Rivers, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Nature Forward, are calling on federal, state, and local legislators to fund overdue infrastructure investments, restore Clean Water Act grants, and enact policies to manage the impacts of data center development.
They highlight that while data centers account for a small percentage of total water withdrawals in the Washington metro area, they represent a significantly higher proportion of consumptive use, particularly in summer, raising concerns about future water availability if expansion continues unchecked in areas like Northern Virginia, which hosts over 300 facilities.