WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Justice Department filed a complaint Monday in federal court against the city of Washington, D.C., and its water and sewer authority over a January pipeline collapse that spilled millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. The complaint seeks financial penalties for the city and DC Water for their role in the leak.

The complaint stems from a Jan. 19 failure of a 72-inch (183-centimeter) pipeline called the Potomac Interceptor. The collapse caused sewage to shoot out of the ground and into the Potomac River just north of Washington in Montgomery County, Maryland, spilling 244 million gallons (924 million liters) of raw sewage into the river.

According to court filings, the complaint alleges that DC Water failed to properly operate and maintain its sewer system to keep untreated sewage out of the Potomac River, its tributaries, and other areas with risk of human contact. The filing stated: "After decades of use and years of neglect, including at least eight years of DC Water knowing about severe corrosion requiring immediate repair, a section of the Potomac Interceptor known by DC Water to be severely corroded catastrophically failed."

"DC Water's failure to maintain the Potomac Interceptor resulted in raw sewage flowing into the Potomac River and the surrounding environment, posing a direct risk to public health," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson said in a statement. "As cities grow and infrastructure ages, cities must invest in their wastewater system to prevent such catastrophes," he added.

The Justice Department's complaint was one of two filed against DC Water on Monday. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a separate action in Montgomery County Circuit Court seeking civil penalties and damages for costs from the river contamination. "The utility must take full responsibility for the damage caused and take immediate and lasting action to prevent future spills," Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement.

DC Water said in a statement that it was "fully committed to the long-term rehabilitation" of the Potomac Interceptor, and that its highest priority was to contain the overflow and repair the damaged section of the pipe. The utility said it fully stopped all discharges to the Potomac River within 21 days and completed repairs of the affected segment in 55 days. DC Water said it is working to accelerate the rehabilitation of more than 2,700 linear feet of pipeline in the affected area, and that both lawsuits were under review.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency in February. The Potomac Interceptor was returned to operation last month after emergency repairs were completed, and the leak is largely under control, though it could take months to fully repair the pipe. DC Water and the Environmental Protection Agency have been working to repair the leak and monitoring its impact on the Potomac River.