Man's body found at DC sewage pumping station

WASHINGTON - A man's body was discovered at a sewage pumping station in the District on Tuesday, according to officials.

The man's body was found by a worker who was checking a sewer trap at the Northwest pumping station near Roosevelt bridge at about 5:30 a.m., the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority said.

DC Water said the sewer traps are cleaned around the clock and reiterated the body was found in sewage water, not drinking water.

"We have screening materials that take out things that aren't supposed to be in the sewer line. For instance, disposable wipes, people who use their wipes to clean babies or wipe-off make-up and they put them in the toilet and so we take an enormous quantity of disposable wipes and other trash from the sewer stream before it gets to Blue Plains, it's easier to treat that way," Vince Morris with DC Water explained.

DC Water officials told FOX 5 they believe the man's body was pushed into the sewer trap by the heavy rainfall overnight. The system carries water from Montgomery County and Virginia across the Potomac River, according to officials.

Authorities said they believe the man is in his 40s or 50s and was fully clothed but did not have identification on him. Investigators said the body had some trauma, but cautioned that the trauma could have come from striking something inside a sewer pipe.