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The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel and ultimately empties into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is about 8.7 miles (14.0 km) long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map , Retrieved August 15, 2011 The name "Anacostia" derives from the area's early history as Nacotchtank, a settlement of Necostan or Anacostan Native Americans on the banks of the Anacostia River.
Heavy water pollution in the Anacostia and weak investment and land development along its banks made it "D.C.'s forgotten river". More recently, however, private organizations; local businesses; and the D.C., Maryland, and federal governments have made efforts to reduce pollution and protect the ecologically valuable Anacostia Drainage basin.
The Washington City Canal operated from 1815 until the mid-1850s, initially connecting the Anacostia to Tiber Creek and the Potomac River; and later to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The city canal fell into disuse in the late 19th century, and the city government covered over or filled in various sections.* Now called Historical Society of Washington, DC.
During the American Civil War, an extensive line of forts was constructed south of the river in order to prevent Confederate artillery from bombarding the Washington Navy Yard, which abuts the river.
According to Rianna Murray et al. and a study from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration, many citizens living along the Anacostia River have been exposed to water pollution. One study done on recreational exposure to pollution along the river showed that many people reported "exposure to water while canoeing, kayaking, rowing, rafting, and paddling, and members of this group also reported getting water in their mouth while recreating." This exposure to polluted water has potential adverse effects on the health of individuals and their community.
The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) sued the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DCWASA) in 1999 for allowing more than of combined sewage and urban runoff (stormwater) to flow into the river via its antiquated combined sewer overflow system. In settling the lawsuit, WASA agreed to invest $140 million on pump station rehabilitation, pipe cleaning and maintenance and public notices of overflows.
In late 2004, AWS and other organizations announced plans to sue the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), the sewage authority in Maryland, over similar problems with river contamination from the Maryland suburbs. According to WSSC, more than of raw sewage were released into Anacostia tributaries between January 2001 and June 2004.
In response to the litigation, in 2011 DCWASA began building a large system of sewage storage tunnels to reduce combined sewer overflow. Four deep storage tunnels next to the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers will reduce overflows to the Anacostia by 98 percent, and 96 percent system-wide. The first segment of the tunnel system, in length, opened in 2018. (The city's overall "Clean Rivers" project, projected to cost $2.6 billion, includes other components, such as reducing stormwater flows.) The remaining segments of the Anacostia storage system were completed in September 2023 and will reduce sewage overflows by 98 percent. The major structure is a long, diameter reinforced concrete tunnel, buried approximately 80 to 120 feet deep. The overall Clean Rivers project will comprise over of tunnels with a storage capacity of .
, which are filter feeders, have a strong capability to clean water. The Anacostia Watershed Society estimates that the mussels have already purified 32 million gallons of water in the first year of this project.
The pilot project began in 2018 when the Anacostia Watershed Society harvested 9,000 quarter-sized mussels and placed them in the river in protective baskets. In 2019, after 92% of the mussels survived the first year of the project, the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) gave the watershed society a $400,000 grant to put another 35,000 mussels in the river. Half of this funding came from the federal government, and the other half came from a five cent tax on plastic bags in the District.
This project came at an especially important moment for Anacostia River health, as the D.C. area weathered intense rain in 2018 which contributed to much sediment, waste, and organic material flowing into the river. River health has improved since, as noted in the watershed society's 2019 river report card. The Anacostia earned its second-best-ever grade in the 2019 State of the Anacostia Report Card, but still failed the evaluation, earning a 51 percent.
Swimming or wading in the Anacostia became illegal in 1971. However, as of 2019, city officials are considering changing this law and building public river pools. DOEE Director Tommy Wells said, “I believe we will have swimming platforms in Washington, D.C. by 2025."
Freshwater mussels have tougher meat than saltwater mussels, so local restaurants are unlikely to buy them. “Without commercial demand for freshwater mussels, funding for their restoration hinges on proof of their ability to save rivers," The Washington Post reported in 2019.
The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail (partially complete as of June 2016) connects Bladensburg Waterfront Park the Tidal Basin via of paved, shared-use path with connections and spurs to the National Arboretum, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Nationals Park, Maine Avenue Fish Market, and other locations.
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