Tales of the Anacostia River: Protecting & Restoring a Fragile Ecosystem
- Tricia Boccard
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 12 minutes ago
By Tricia Boccard
Once part of a rich marshland, the Anacostia River runs from Bladensburg, Maryland all the way to Washington, DC to join the Potomac River. The surrounding wetlands, which served as a buffer and filter, have been destroyed, causing widespread damage and pollution in the river. In the face of these challenges, Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) is working to protect and restore the river. Founded in 1989, AWS’ early years were focused on bringing attention to the health of the Anacostia River, which by the late 1980s, many experts and scientists began to recognize as one of the most polluted waterways in the United States.
Connecting people to the river has been core to the AWS mission, both in their early years during peak pollution and now as the river is rebounding. Their ultimate vision is to make the Anacostia River and its tributaries swimmable and fishable, in keeping with the Clean Water Act, for the health and enjoyment of everyone in the community. To educate local communities about the historical and ecological evolution of the river, AWS organizes boat tours for the community. On Saturday, August 9, I had the pleasure of joining other women in the DC EcoWomen community on a boat tour with Captain Jenna Burnett and Captain Lindsay Allen. Offering boat tours allows AWS to bring people to the river, so they can learn about its history, progress, current state of health, and opportunities to continue its improvement, as well as to form their own personal connection with the river.
On the tour we learned about Anacostia Watershed Society’s efforts to remove trash from the river using trash traps. We also learned how data collected from the AWS trash traps has contributed to advocacy around new legislation for banning plastic bags and styrofoam. Now this data is being used to advocate for a bottle deposit bill.
We also learned about their successful advocacy efforts to renovate DC’s sewage management system. Prior to the completion of the Anacostia River Tunnel system, heavy rainfalls would cause overflow to enter the river, leading to pollutant and untreated sewage runoff. Prior to this project, the system would overflow the river 82 times in a year of average rainfall, sending 2.1 billion gallons of untreated sewage and polluted runoff into the river annually. Today, the new tunnel system has resulted in 98% reduction of sewage overflows in an average year. Though these efforts are encouraging, the Anacostia Watershed Society’s State of the River Report Card still scored the river at D+ in 2024.
As we rode along the river, I felt a sense of encouragement for what has been done to revitalize the river, and optimism about what more can be accomplished. On our tour, we saw much wildlife, including ospreys, mallard ducks, and turtles, thriving in the local river ecosystem. We also saw people fishing and kayaking. Nevertheless, due to pollutant levels, it is still not possible to safely swim in the river or consume fish from it. There is more work that needs to be done to help protect and revitalize the Anacostia River.
GET INVOLVED
SUPPORT ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY
Learn more about how you can donate and volunteer. Adult education programs include the Watershed Stewards Academy and Master Naturalist Program. Middle school students can join the Saturday Environmental Academy and in the summer join the Summer Environmental Academy.
ADVOCATE
Support policies that keep our rivers clean by reaching out to your local representatives. While Bottle Deposit Bills have been introduced in Washington, DC and Maryland, they have not yet passed. Another recent policy action is to advocate to stop the closure of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) as a result of the U.S. Department of Agriculture reorganization plan. The BARC contains some of the largest intact habitat areas in the Anacostia watershed.
JOIN A BOAT TOUR Sign up for Anacostia Watershed Society’s public boat tours from April to September.
WATCH FILM Watch the Reviving the Forgotten River film to learn about efforts to revitalize the Anacostia River.
ADD NATIVE PLANTS TO YOUR GARDEN
Plant native plants in your garden. JOIN THE RIVERSMART PROGRAM
Apply for the RiverSmart Homes Program that can help to install features that reduce stormwater runoff.
ADOPT-A-BLOCK
Participate in DC’s Adopt-A-Block Program.
PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY SCIENCE EVENTS
Help document the watershed's biodiversity through apps, such as iNaturalist.
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