Summary
Acute nutrient pollution, such as raw sewages spills into waterways, represent one of the most pervasive and ecologically damaging stressors to freshwater and estuarine systems in the U.S., with recovery timescales often spanning decades. Changes in water quality and biodiversity immediately and soon after a pollution event are rarely studied in real time and are proposed to have outsized effects on the long-term trajectory of water systems. In January 2026, the Potomac Interceptor sewer outside of Washington DC collapsed, causing one of the largest raw sewage spills in history until it was ca
