The Potomac River becomes a corridor of danger during the crab emergency near Washington: reports place swarms along the river and describe them moving up the estuary, turning a familiar waterway into part of the approaching threat.

The River in the Washington Crisis

Reports say that crabs have appeared in Chesapeake Bay and along the Potomac River, apparently advancing up the estuary. Sightings near Alexandria and south of Arlington widen the area of concern, though officials are still awaiting confirmation of those reports. The river matters in this episode not as a settled boundary but as a possible route by which the crisis is moving toward the capital.

Government Response

As the reported swarm raises fears that Washington could face a disaster like New York, Judith Li orders preparations for evacuation and directs that tankers carrying drinking water be sent to affected areas. She also proposes draining the pipes and using chemicals against the crabs. These measures belong to the wider emergency response; the account does not establish that the Potomac itself is contaminated or describe what ultimately happens to the river.