1969 New Bullards Bar Dam, Colgate Powerhouse and Burst Penstock on Feb 13, 2026

Dam: (Satellite)

Powerhouse: (Satellite)

The dam is 645' (197m) tall.

The New Bullards Bar Dam inundated the 200' (61m) dam built in 1922. [Warren Frederickson post]

Feb 13, 2026: the penstock broke near the butterfly valve.

8:34 video @ 2:16
Colgate Penstock Failure! Friday the 13th of Feb 2026

The torrent of water going down the mountain side then eroded the footings and caused another break in the penstock.

@ 2:53

The penstock begins at the face of the dam and soon goes through a tunnel through granite rock for a few miles to...

Satellite

...the top of a penstock above the Colgate Powerhouse.

Satellite

The penstock drops from about the 1300' contour line down to below the 700' contour line.

1969/77 French Corral Quad @ 24,000

Since the topo map marks the tunnel, I zoomed out to get the whole tunnel.

1969 Challenge and French Corral Quads @ 24,000

Warren Frederickson posted seven images with the comment: "Big mess !"

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Chris Fen commented on Warren's post

Another view of the dam.

blancolirio Screenshot

A view with the spillway in action.

0:12 video

YubaWater
Plans are being made to spend about a quarter-billion dollars to add another spillway. The new spillway will be 31.5' lower than the current one so that the reservoir can be drawn down even further in anticipation of atmospheric river rain storms. This allows water to be released while the lower channel has plenty of capacity to handle the flow.

1872+1932+1981 Bridges to Arsenal Island over Mississippi Backchannel at Moline, IL

1872 15th Street: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1932 16th Street: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1981 Rodman Ave.: (Satellite)

1872 in the foreground and 1932 behind it.

1981

Boat View, Oct 2015

Back to the interesting bridges.

BridgeHunter_1872

This post is noteworthy because it taught me the location of the Moline Plow Works.

Fans of Rock Island Lines posted
Very early pic of the Span to the Island, Rock island with Moline Plow on the right, Deere wagon works beyond that. It's structure looks similar in design to the 3rd span or first government bridge, which was cast by the Baltimore bridge works shipped and built by the Arsenal ordinance dept. I have a post card calling this the government bridge too. Im guessing 1870s to 1880. The motion of the two figures on left tell u something,  whoever took it used a old box camera, pull the cap, count to 10. Long exposure. Probably had better equipment available but didn't possess it.

Boston Public Library Flickr
Government Bridge between Moline, Illinois and Rock Island Arsenal

BridgeHunter_1932

1891/91 Davenport @ 62,500

1923 Original US-66 Devils Elbow Bridge over Big Piney River at Devils Elbow, MO

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

US-66 Overview

"Built 1923; made obsolete by new US 66 bridge in 1942; rehabilitated 2013-14." [ArchivedBridgeHunter]

There are some tourist attractions along the 1942 route.

Street View, Nov 2021

Photo by James McCray via BridgeHunter

Street View, Nov 2021

This shows the "U.S. Rte 66" that bypassed the bridge in 1942. I think the tourist traffic on Route 66 is becoming an important part of the economy in this area, thus MoDOT considers it worth preserving these original 1923 truss bridges. (Route 66 was created in 2026 by designating the original route of the Devils Elbow Bridge as part of the route.) Note that I-44 has bypassed the bypass. [BridgeHunter]

Satellite

Zooming in, it is easy to see the original route across the bridge because Google Maps labels it "U.S. Bicycle Rte 66." But it is not obvious where the original route is north of Rte 66.

Satellite

The original route north of Rte 66 was replaced, not just bypassed, by Rte 66.

1936/36 Waynesville Quad @ 48,000

DC Water is pumping about 42 million gallons of raw sewage into the C&O canal each day

(Satellite, someplace between I-495 and Lock #10.)

After the raw sewage flows in the C&O Canal pass a cave-in of a 72-inch interceptor sewer, they pump the sewage back into the sewer. During the six days it took to get the pumps operational, all of the raw sewage was overflowing into the Potomac River.

Facebook Reel
https://www.dcwater.com/about-dc-water/media/news/update-dc-water-activates-bypass-contain-wastewater-overflows-potomac

dcwater
The collapse occurred Jan 19, and the pumps stopped the river pollution on Jan 24. Fortunately, the intake for DC's water supply is upstream of this sewer overflow.

The DMV Daily posted

Repairs to a massive sewage spill contaminating the Potomac River could take weeks or even months longer than expected, according to DC Water. 

The spill began Jan. 19 after a 72-inch sewer pipeline, known as the Potomac Interceptor, collapsed near Glen Echo, Maryland, sending raw sewage directly into the river.

DC Water estimates about 243 million gallons of wastewater equal to 368 Olympic-sized swimming pools have spilled so far, mostly in the days before emergency bypass pumping was activated. 

Crews later discovered a large rock and debris blockage inside the pipe, complicating repairs. Clearing the obstruction could take four to six weeks, after which the timeline for permanent repairs will be determined.

While DC Water says recent testing shows E. coli levels within federal safety standards, environmental groups dispute those findings and warn the river may still be unsafe for recreation. Monitoring and cleanup efforts are ongoing.

📸: @dc.water

Chad Schoelkopf: E-coli levels 4,000 times higher than a safe level and DC says they are within safe limits 😡

Kem Clawson commented on the above post
We live about 20 miles down river and starting Sunday the river looked like a waste treatment facility. Now with the warmer temps it SMEELS like one.

Ginger Morrison commented on the above post
The levels are off the chart!

I repeat an above statement: "DC Water says recent testing shows E. coli levels within federal safety standards." When will institutions learn to not say anything rather than tell a blatant, testable, lie?

E. coli levels over 10,000 times the recreational water quality limit have been found. "DC Water estimated that during the peak of the crisis, the pipe was discharging 40 million gallons per day for at least six days." [WUSA9_unsafe, Jan 28, 2026]

Feb 10, 2026: DC Water admits they reported incorrect E. coli levels and provides new figures.

dcwater_feb10
"As noted previously, data highlighted in yellow represents corrections made following a review of the sampling data that identified reporting errors.  These errors were promptly corrected, and additional quality control measures have been implemented to ensure the accuracy of the data being reported."

DC Water on X/Twitter
"Pumping challenges continue at the damaged Potomac Interceptor. Two pumps clogged w/non-disposable wipes Monday night, causing an overflow & contained on-site. E. coli levels remain elevated at collapse site, downstream levels remain below EPA standards"

Feb 11, 2026:

WUSA 9 posted
Super Bowl bathroom breaks triggered a sewage overflow into the Potomac River after non-flushable wipes clogged DC Water's system: https://www.wusa9.com/.../65-bbe1af6c-6dd0-4aad-bb99...
"Non-flushable wipes cause more sewage spills into Potomac River during Super Bowl"

Some comments have wondered what the impact on the crabbing industry in the Chesapeake Bay might be.

Background

The interceptor sewer was built to support Dulles Airport and the surrounding developments.

dcwater_PI

Between 2001 and 2015, DC Water inspected the entire interceptor. "The individual pipe segments inspected indicate the majority of the pipe segments show signs of corrosion, and some show settled deposits." [dcwater_inspections]

They have been working on repairs. In fact, they worked on a segment just upstream of the collapse.

dcwater_high_priority via dcwater_PI

<rant>

The webpage about the inspections contains:

Information about specific rehabilitation efforts is available under the Projects section of this website, including:

Potomac Interceptor Sewer Rehabilitation Project

Potomac Interceptor LZ07 Project

But when I tried accessing either of those links, I got:

Either of the above two links.

</rant>

Feb 13, 2026:

Fairfax County Government posted

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) posted information regarding the Jan. 19 Potomac River sewage spill.

Because Maryland has regulatory authority over the Potomac River, VDH is deferring to Maryland Department of the Environment for management of response and monitoring activities related to this event.

However, Virginia residents are urged to use caution on the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac River.

Read more: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/potomac-sewage-spill/

[The caption explains these are the sites were DC Water collected bacteria samples. It conspicuously doesn't say what the results are.]

Feb 13, 2026: This video shows that the pumps are discharging upstream of Lock #13 of west of I-495. That disagrees with the information I found above. In fact, this is close to the area of repair. So now I wonder if it was a construction accident.

Facebook Reel

1923 Original US-66 Johnson Creek Bridge near Spencer, MO, and Gary's Gay Parita

Bridge: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Spencer Phillips 66 Station: (Satellite)

Gary's Gay Parita Sinclair Station: (Satellite)

Corvair Corner Museum: (Satellite)

US-66 Overview

Street View, Jun 2012

Spencer Phillips 66 Garage

Next to the right truss line in the above photo is a sign for the Spencer Phillips 66 Station.

Street View, Aug 2023

Street View, Aug 2023

Gary's Gay Parita Sinclair Station

I think that is a Hudson on the left.

Street View, Jun 2016

Street View, Jun 2016

"Corvair Corner" is just across the side street. I did not know that Corvair made a station wagon.

John Miller, Oct 2018

All Three

Leslie Orologio posted
Going through Route 66 pictures from 2023. Can anyone identify this bridge, please and thank you! 

Andy Wegener: Johnson Creek Bridge near Spencer Station and just minutes from Gary's Gay Parita.

Stephanie Cramer: That’s out historic Johnson Creek Bridge just down the road from our Spencer Station - Route 66! We cherish this historical bridge ❤️

Resa Harbison Bridges: Talked to the owner of the station there. He is restoring it. The pavement in front is original to 1926.

[Some comments indicate that the bridge was built in 1923 for MO-14. Then, in 1926, this stretch became part of US-66.]

Matthew Snoden Walburn: This image is a postcard of the historic single-lane Johnson Creek Bridge on old Route 66 near Spencer, Missouri.

The bridge was built around 1926 as part of the original Route 66.

It is a steel truss bridge with a weight limit of 30 tons, as indicated by the sign in the image.

The bridge and surrounding area, including the nearby Spencer Station, are popular historic stops for Route 66 travelers.

The road was bypassed in 1960, helping preserve this section of the original concrete highway and bridge.

Google image search answer

Spencer Station - Route 66: Matthew Snoden Walburn This and the smaller Pony Bridge going into Paris Springs were both built in 1923. So Google may be wrong on the year! 😉

Al Salazar commented on Leslie's post
Spencer’s Station

Curtis Stephan commented on Leslie's post
That's the old Johnson Creek bridge into Spencer. Site of the old Johnson Mill from the late 1800s. Gets flooded out a lot. Just ahead is the little place of Spencer - diner, gift shop, old barber and car repair. then, you get an original (untouched) part of Route 66.

Diane Smith commented on Leslie's post

Clint McCann commented on Leslie's post
October 2025

This bridge was bypassed in 1960 saving the "U.S. Bicycle Rte 66" for the hardcore Route 66 tourists. Of course, "U.S. Rte 66" is now bypassed by the nearby I-44.

Satellite