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An ecological crisis of “historic proportion” is underway\u00a0in the Potomac River<\/a>\u00a0after a massive sewer pipe collapse north of Washington, D.C., the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.<\/p>\n The millions of gallons of diseased waste polluting the Potomac, a waterway that winds through the nation\u2019s capital, is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, according to the\u00a0University of Maryland<\/a>.<\/p>\n E. coli bacteria levels in the Potomac were hundreds of times higher than the level the EPA considers safe when the water was tested this week at the site of the spill, officials from utility company DC Water said Tuesday.<\/p>\n About 243.5 million gallons of raw sewage have poured into the Potomac since the Jan. 19 mishap, DC Water said.<\/p>\n But the waters near the capital city\u2019s Georgetown neighborhood fell within the EPA\u2019s safety limits when they were tested Monday and weren’t a risk for gastrointestinal illness and skin infections \u2014 largely because the river has been frozen over for weeks.<\/p>\n DC Water has told area residents to avoid the untreated sewage. It urges anyone who comes into contact with the wastewater to leave the area immediately, wash exposed skin thoroughly with soap and clean water and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.<\/p>\n