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  • View from the River
    • Toxic Sites Along the Anacostia
      September 2, 2010 | 10:10 pm

      Toxic sites along the Anacostia River have threatened public and environmental health for decades, yet the government agencies responsible for their decontamination continue to haggle over details and jurisdictional boundaries. On Tuesday, September 7, Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society, Anacostia Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee, DC Environmental Network, Groundwork Anacostia River and the Sierra Club Environmental Justice Program will call on DC council members and candidates for DC government to take action.

      Council Chair Vincent Gray, Councilmember Tommy Wells, Councilmember Harry Thomas, and representatives from the offices of Councilmembers Yvette Alexander and Michael A. Brown have committed to attending, and many other council members and candidates have been invited. The press conference will take place on the Anacostia River near 12th and Water Sts. SE at one of the toxic sites.

      There are six known toxic hot spots on and in the river: the Washington Navy Yard, Southeast Federal Center, Poplar Point, Kenilworth Landfill, Washington Gas Light and PEPCO Benning Road. These sites are contaminated by a range of toxics, including PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls), PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and heavy metals – toxics that endanger the health of the river and the communities that live, work, and play near it.

      I can’t help but wonder – in its failure to clean up these sites along the Nation’s forgotten river, has the government forgotten as well its responsibility to the communities that live along it?

      Read the press release here, and for more information about the issue of toxics in the Anacostia Watershed, go to our Challenges – Toxics page.  Stay tuned to Anacostia Riverkeeper as it works to clean up these sites and hold our government officials accountable.

    • After the Storm: Footage from the Anacostia, 8/13/10
      August 13, 2010 | 4:40 pm

      This afternoon, Anacostia Riverkeeper went out on the River to see how it’s faring after the storm.  And the storm’s effects were impossible to miss.

      The most noticeable impact was on the water itself – it is a murky, muddy brown.  This is due to all the sediment, debris, and sewer overflow. (During heavy downpours, the District’s outdated Combined Sewer-Stormwater Overflow system kicks in, dumping raw sewage into the Anacostia.)

      We also saw trash everywhere – more than usual – and big flotillas of trash, leaves and fallen branches.

      In spite of all the trash and debris, the River is still filled with life – from the boat you could see herons, egrets, ducks, cormorants, and terns in the water and on shore.  Just a reminder of what we’re working to protect, and how beautiful the River really can be!

      During our trip we were lucky enough to catch DC Water’s trash skimmer in action.  These boats have big jaw-like trash traps on the front, which collect surface debris.  Here’s a video of the skimmer doing its job!

      We weren’t the only ones out on the River – check out Anacostia Watershed Society’s coverage of their outing yesterday!

    • Stormwater and Montgomery County
      July 23, 2010 | 4:29 pm

      Montgomery County is currently deciding its stormwater regulations, as required by the Maryland Stormwater Act of 2007. The regs are before the County Council, and while Anacostia Riverkeeper supports several key aspects of the proposed stormwater code changes, there are other aspects that Anacostia Riverkeeper believes do not comply with the original Act. The Stormwater Partners Network is working tirelessly to have the Council remedy these problems before approving the ordinance. The main issues involve the grandfathering provisions and waiver eligibilities, which are much too broad and lenient.

      Stormwater is a critical issue for the Anacostia River, and the River’s headwaters are in Montgomery County. Protection and restoration of Montgomery County’s waters are essential to the protection and restoration of the Anacostia River. With eighty percent of the Anacostia Watershed in Maryland, Maryland must do its part to clean up the Anacostia River.

      Read the letter sent to the Montgomery County Council by the Stormwater Partners Network, and contact the Council to tell them to remedy Expedited Bill 40-10 according to the Network’s recommendations.

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