Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J.

Miranda 1

One of the Most Polluted Waterways in the Nation: The Anacostia River

Professor Siddique

Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda

Intro to Environmental Policy

Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 2

Table of Contents

Page 3: Executive Summary

Page 4: Introduction
Page 5-6: Main report
Page 7: Conclusion
Page 8: References
Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 3

Executive Summary:

This report was made to bring awareness too one of the most polluted waterways in our
nation. With this report we will show the issue with the river, how this issue occurred, how this
issue is being tackled and fixed, and any policy that is in place to help this river. The Anacostia
River as reported by advocacy group DC Appleseed calls the Anacostia River "one of the most
polluted waterways in the nation. This river has been referred to as the forgotten river as it has
been heavily polluted for so long with no thought as to the consequences of our ignorance.
According to DC Appleseed and also anyone who steps foot near the river, you can take note of
the garbage just floating on top of the river. DC Appleseed states in their report, heavy rainfalls
exceed the capacity of combined sewers, causing them to overflow and dump a mixture of
polluted storm water and raw sewage into the Anacostia. Combined sewer overflows contribute
to the Anacostia's high bacteria levels, which prevent the River from being safe for swimming.
There was raw sewage just dumping straight into the river, this sewage contains bacteria and
excess nutrients that cause dead zones in the river where fish are completely unable to survive in
the water. Although there is so much damage and destruction caused to the river now there is a
comprehensive restoration plan. The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative has helped catalyze $3
billion of investments along the Capitol Riverfront. New and improved riverside parks are
providing new civic spaces for rest, relaxation, and recreation in the midst of a congested urban
environment. Meanwhile, to deal with the sewage situation, Washington, D.C., is already
investing significant funding in a large-scale plan to create huge tunnels that will prevent sewage
overflows during storms. The infrastructure initiative, called the Anacostia River Tunnel Project
under the Clean Rivers Project, will help to remove nearly all the sewage entering the river
within a matter of years. Also According to the Department of Energy and Environment, The
Districts Bag Law is the first of its kind in the U.S. Since the law took effect on January 1, 2010,
District businesses have seen a drastic reduction in bag usage, and environmental clean-up
groups witnessed fewer bags polluting D.C. waterways. Amidst all of this the EPA made a
consent order requiring implementation of the long term control plan to reduce CSO to the
Anacostia River. These things show efforts are being made to clean the river although we still
have a long way to go until it will be back to its glory.
Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 4

Introduction

The Anacostia River was once a great river which housed a variety of species of animals.
Due to the antique sewer systems of the district, and the urban runoff and other pollutants, the
Anacostia River has gone into a steep decline killing many of the life that resided in it. Though
centuries of neglect have altered it, mere decades of dedicated work may bring it back to the
sparkling, life-giving river it once was. The biggest problem for the Anacostia River is the raw
sewage and the plastic bags and bottles clogging the river itself. Through research we intended to
discover if there are any efforts being made to this day to get the Anacostia back to its glory. We
searched for different organizations and laws that are implementing the recovery of the river. We
found out through are research that the district is working on improving the sewer system so
there wont be any raw sewage entering the river after a heavy rain. The only problem with this
ideal is that it will take a long time to implement such improvements. The district has passed a
plastic bag fee to help persuade buyers to use reusable bags instead of plastic bags that will enter
our streams. The data has shown a decrease in overall plastic bottles and plastic bags found in the
river. Another big issue is all the toxins from oil, gas and other chemicals from yards that are
running off the streets, through bridges and going straight into the Anacostia. The goal is to try
and get green infrastructure put in throughout the watershed so that the water running off the
streets doesnt run directly into the river but runs into bio-fills, rain gardens, and other
ecofriendly filters.
Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 5

Main Report

The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It runs
from Bladensburg, Maryland, to the District of Columbia, where it passes through several
residential neighborhoods and just below the U.S. Capitol before merging with the Potomac at
the Washington Channel. It is approximately 8.7 miles long. A fact about the Anacostia is its
name the name derives from the area's early history as Nacotchtank, a settlement of Necostan or
Anacostan Native Americans on the banks of the Anacostia River. Early European settlers were
amazed by how vibrant and beautiful the river was. They thought it was remarkable how much
fish there was available in the river. The river started going downhill as soon as agriculture and
urbanization began. Deforestation occurred and the watershed was replaced with buildings.
Urbanization claimed forests and wetland habitats, altered stream flows, and fed ever-increasing
amounts of sewage and polluted runoff into the river. This occurred for years going relatively
unnoticed (except to the residents who live next to the river) because the Potomac is the star river
in the district, and the Anacostia is the forgotten river. Soon there was no more denying the issues
with the river. Old industrial plants near the river still have toxic runoff going into the river and
the effects were being noticed.
The river had, and still does in certain areas, a horrible stench from the sewage and trash
that is polluting it. A lot of the species of fish that lived in the river are gone and if you catch
them they have mutations and a ton of other defects that can show you how much they are
struggling to survive in the conditions of the river. Residents started to complain about the
conditions of the river and their voices were heard. In 2000, Congress passed the SEFC
Public/Private Development Act to assist the General Services Administration in developing the
area. The Act allowed GSA to partner with private sector developers to plan and develop the
SEFC parcels for eventual sale or lease. GSAs master plan shifted from creating federal offices
to creating office, residential, retail and public uses for the site. Since the federal government
works to protect human health and the environment, GSA worked with the EPA to properly
assess the property and any contamination found. Several soil removals have been completed,
including removing PCB-contaminated sediment from storm sewers and on-site soil
contaminated with petroleum and metals. GSA continues to remove contaminated soil from the
surface and at depth from parcels being prepared for development. Overall there are a lot of acts,
laws, and initiatives in place to help the Anacostia return to its former self. The district has
introduced a plastic bag fee to help reduce the amount of bags that end up in the river, along with
plastic bottles by making stronger recycling campaigns. The number of organizations and private
companies who want to see the river be restored are great, private companies intend to capitalize
off of the new wave of individuals looking to enjoy nature and everything that it offers. To make
money the river has to be attractive too people and bring them in, thus the river must be cleaned.
Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 6

The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative has helped catalyze $3 billion of investments along
the Capitol Riverfront to help clean the river and bring new and improved infrastructures into the
Anacostia waterfront. The goal is to create a safe and enjoyable experience in the river for
everyone in the district and Maryland. The clean water act is still helping to try to make the water
clean enough to swim and fish in one day. As of now the Anacostia is only safe for non-contact
activities like paddle boating and canoeing. The Anacostia River is not safe for swimming. DC
law prohibits swimming in any river in the District. Testing by AWS consistently demonstrates
violation of water quality standards and bacteria levels in the river. In our research it has been
noted that the Anacostia is extremely off limits to contact after a heavy rain due to the sewage
systems in the district running directly into the river, carrying many diseases and bacteria (that
the fish and other wildlife get).
Another big plan that sticks out in the midst of all the others is the Anacostia Watershed
Restoration Plan. This landmark plan is the product of unprecedented regional multijurisdictional
cooperation, a two year, $2.8 million investment in identifying specific projects that can
collectively turn the river and its surrounding watershed around. This plan is very important
because it is essentially bringing together all the policies, acts, laws and initiatives together under
one roof for one common goal, in an organized manor. This plan will help coordinate all the
companies, and the government agencies, in their actions regarding the restoration of the river.
This plan will most likely take a lot of time; (like every other plan for the environment) the plan
will take longer than the estimated time but will help organize all the actions taking place on the
river. Before this plan there were a lot of ideas about restoring the Anacostia and actions being
taken place for that goal, but what halted all that progress was the lack of cooperation with other
companies and state governments that arent on the same page in the overall use for the river.
In terms of awareness to the problem, there isnt much. Unless you live near the
Anacostia River and visit it, or even smell it on some days, you often dont know how bad it is.
There is much more awareness to the rivers pollution on the D.C. side of the river than
Marylands overall, but very little in general. It is no wonder why the Anacostia is referred to as
the forgotten river, there hasnt been one time we have seen a news report on it or anything
referencing its need for aid. The only way you can come across any media coverage of the river
is if you search it by name on google. It is hard to raise funds for the restoration process of the
river if no one knows how troublesome it is. The media changes peoples views on the world,
and if awareness can be shed upon the tragedy that is the Anacostia River there would be a much
stronger contribution to the restoration of the river.
Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 7

Conclusion

In conclusion the Anacostia River is extremely polluted but not as bad as it once was
even a few years ago. Conservation agencies predict it is not too late to restore the river to its
once amazing glory but it will take a crazy amount of contribution and funds to do so. The river
has been destroyed by urban runoff, the raw sewage entering the river, the destruction of the
watershed, and the pollution of solid waste gathering in the river. The river has lost a lot of the
life that once resided in it, and the life that still exists have taken a serious hit due to the
pollution. The Anacostia Watershed Society stated that, It is also not safe to eat certain fish from
the Anacostia River, particularly carp, eel, and striped bass (rockfish). DC and Maryland both
have issued fish consumption advisories for the Anacostia. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service studies
show that approximately one-third of the brown bullhead catfish develop cancerous lesions or
sores. The animals in this river have defects that affect their reproduction, competition between
other species, and go up the food chain as they are consumed by predators. Although all this is
happening there is one promising plan, the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Plan is helping
group all the organizations and laws together towards one goal, one step at a time, to focus on
long term restoration and maintenance of the river. We feel as if the Anacostia River doesnt
receive enough media coverage to help raise the money needed to achieve the goals set forth by
the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Plan. Overall the river is getting better year by year, but the
biggest thing that needs to be done is the rejuvenation of the D.C. sewer systems which as of
now overflow if there is a heavy rain and dump raw sewage into the river. If there is one thing
we could help or change it would be the attention the Anacostia gets so it could be better
recognized as the troubled river it is.
Marcellus G. Baylor & Johnny J. Miranda 8

References

https://www.scribd.com/document/54446199/DC-Appleseed-A-New-Day-for-the-Anacostia-

Report#fullscreen&from_embed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacostia_River

http://www.womenofgreen.com/2017/01/25/the-once-hopelessly-polluted-anacostia-river-is-

making-a-comeback/

https://trashfreemaryland.org/2013/03/05/the-dc-bag-fee-is-cleaning-up-the-anacostia-river/

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/healing-anacostias-troubled-waters

https://blog.epa.gov/blog/tag/anacostia-river/