Water quality monitoring helps us better understand and document the general water quality conditions of the Anacostia River.
What is Snapshot Monitoring?
Snapshot monitoring captures data at a single point in time. For our purposes, it entails collecting a grab sample (such as dipping a sampling bottle or submerging a probe) from the river for analysis.
The grab sample tells us exactly what was in the water at the exact moment it was collected. The reality is that snapshot monitoring doesn’t tell us what the water was like two hours before the sample collection or what it will be like tomorrow. It is a single “frame” in the life of the river.
What gets measured?
AWS monitors the tidal Anacostia River from the Bladensburg Road Bridge to the mouth of the Anacostia River from June through October. There are 9 monitoring stations one mile apart. The parameters monitored are listed below:
pH
Water temperature
Dissolved Oxygen
Conductivity
Secchi Disk Depth (Water Clarity)
E. coli
Snapshot Monitoring Station Map
Select a marker to view current water quality data
Since 2020, E. coli is monitored only at Bladensburg, Route 50, Benning, and 11th Street sites
We regularly provide a progress update on the Anacostia River in part to create accountability for decision makers entrusted with the health of the river. This report card is your guide to how well our communities, environmental groups, and governments are meeting the goal of a fishable and swimmable Anacostia River, per the terms of the Clean Water Act. Provided here is a summary of the scientific data we have analyzed so that citizens and public officials can better understand the current state of the Anacostia River.
Our 2025 Report Card receives a passing grade of D, the Anacostia River’s second highest grade since 2014!
The river’s water quality received the second highest percentage score (%Score) to date despite declines in the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), and Toxics & Trash Remediation.
Parameters are showing steady improvement in Chlorophyll a, and Water Clarity.
Toxics & Trash declined slightly for the first time since the start of our annual assessment.
Parameters that remain sluggish include Fecal Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, SAV.
Significant progress by the District Department of Energy and Environment in addressing toxic pollutants at the river’s bottom are steadily improving the score for Toxics Remediation though there was a minor setback this year.
Over the past decade, SAV acreage has been inconsistent, fluctuating between scores of 5% and 100%. It is likely that SAV acreage in some years is influenced by poor/decreased water clarity in early spring. This instability indicates that improved land management and strategies like green infrastructure supporting increased water clarity will likely result in more stable SAV acreage.
For press inquiries, please contact Christopher Williams at [email protected] or 301-699-6204 x105.
President’s Message
The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) in its 2025 State of the River Report has determined that the water quality of the Anacostia River receives a passing grade for sample year 2024 . It is the second highest grade to date since the Report began grading the river in 2014. Several parameters are showing consistent improvement. Others are more sluggish from year-to-year, but overall the river continues steady progress toward a clean and healthy future.
Every year since 2002, AWS has been monitoring the water quality of the river in a rigorous and consistent manner. This has produced a wealth of dependable data to track changes in water quality, providing not only a snapshot of water quality today, but a record of progress and setbacks over time. The State of the Anacostia River Report is our annual analysis of this data, providing a detailed report to the decision-makers, stakeholders, and the public on the river’s progress toward recovery.
Our Mission
The mission of the Anacostia Watershed Society is to protect and restore the Anacostia River and its watershed for all who live here and for future generations. We do this through field conservation and restoration programs; policy advocacy to advance laws and regulations that prevent pollution and promote investment in restoration; adult and youth education in the classroom and in the field to inspire and equip present and future watershed stewards; and volunteer, outreach, and recreation programs to connect local communities with the rivers and wetlands of the Anacostia watershed.
The Challenges
Although the average score for fecal bacteria improved over the last year from 60% to 67%, levels remain high in parts of the Anacostia River, despite the dramatic reduction in sewage overflows as a result of the completion of DC Water’s Anacostia River Tunnel. This contamination is caused by sewage discharges and leaks, as well as pet and wildlife waste.
Climate change will heighten these challenges, and indeed threatens to roll back the gains we’ve made over the last 30 years. The Anacostia Watershed Society urges further, comprehensive efforts to conserve and restore wetlands and forests, reconnect floodplains with the river and streams of DC, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, and ensure climate resilience.
Next steps and solutions
While there is great progress in controlling threats to water quality such as sewage and industrial toxics, the Anacostia watershed continues to suffer from the historical loss of wetlands and forests that once protected our rivers and streams from excessive run-off, sediment, and pollution. Climate change will heighten these challenges, and indeed threatens to roll back the gains we’ve made over the last 35 years. The Anacostia Watershed Society urges further, comprehensive efforts to conserve and restore wetlands and forests, reconnect floodplains with the river and streams of DC, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, and ensure climate resilience.
What AWS is doing to improve water quality
Mussel Restoration: Freshwater mussels are a vital component of a healthy Anacostia River. As filter feeders, freshwater mussels help improve water quality. One adult mussel can filter 10-20 gallons of water each day, and since 2019 AWS has released over 38,000 mussels of five native species into the Anacostia river.
Wetlands restoration: There is a reason wetlands are called the kidneys of the river – these ecosystems filter out sediments, toxins, litter, and other pollutants from the river. In addition to improving water quality, thriving wetlands sequester carbon, helping to reduce greenhouse gasses. Since the early 2000’s, AWS has worked hard to restore over 35 acres of tidal wetlands in the Anacostia river. Just in the last two years wild rice acreage at Kingman Lake has more than doubled as a result of our work.
Riparian forest restoration: Forests along the banks of the river, also known as riparian forests, are another essential ecosystem in our watershed. Riparian forests help stabilize the riverbanks, filter and/or slow down stormwater, sediment and pollutants; and provide habitat for wildlife. Since 2017, we have planted over 800 native trees in areas that were severely affected by an invasive beetle known as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) which wiped out all the mature ash trees from these forests. We are planting native tree species (excluding ash trees) that are adapted to the moist-wet soil conditions of these riparian forests.
What gets measured?
Stormwater Runoff: Stormwater runoffis the fastest growing source of pollution in the watershed. Runoff flushes trash and toxics from paved areas and erodes stream banks, filling the river with sediment. A score of 100% means that the peak stream flow is the same as averaged values from recorded historical levels (1938-1942).
Chlorophyll a: Chlorophyll a is the measure of microalgae biomass; this can impact water clarity and dissolved oxygen levels, and indicates the amount of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. A score of 100% means that the body of water has only the appropriate amount of microalgae biomass.
Water Clarity: Water Clarity is a measure of light penetrating the water column; this affects the health of aquatic grasses. A score of 100% means that the water is clear enough to see through at at least 4.25 feet ( 1.3 meters).
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: Vegetation requires light to thrive and is essential habitat for aquatic life. A score of 100% means that the Anacostia River has at least 20 acres of SAV bed. Over the past decade, SAV acreage has fluctuated between 5% and 100%. Likely due to poor water clarity in early spring. This indicates that improved land management and green infrastructure is necessary to support increased water clarity, which will then likely result in more stable SAV acreage.
Dissolved Oxygen: Dissolved Oxygen is critical for the survival of aquatic life and ecosystem sustainability. A score of 100% means that the water is equal to or more than 5mg/L of oxygen all the time. According to 2023 data, the long-term trend indicates that immediate attention is needed.
To arrive at the overall grade for water quality in the Anacostia River, the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) evaluates and grades each of three sections of the 9-mile tidal river from Bladensburg, MD to its confluence with the Potomac. We monitor key indicators including Dissolved Oxygen, Fecal Bacteria, Water Clarity, and Chlorophyll a. AWS uses the average score of each of these indicators to determine the river’s overall grade. Assessment for Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV), Stormwater Volume Runoff, Toxics, and Trash is conducted for the entire tidal Anacostia River. These parameters will also be considered to give a percentage score (%Score) and grade for each section and the entire river.
Data Sources and Disclaimers
Data set: All available, professionally collected data was used. The data sets include those collected by DC government, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, United States Geological Survey, and the Anacostia Watershed Society.
The data was compared with thresholds developed by Mid-Atlantic Tributary Assessment Coalition (MTAC) who created EcoCheck protocols – Sampling and data analysis protocols for Mid-Atlantic tidal tributary indicators.
For trend analysis, data sets from 1984 to 2018 were used depending on the parameter and the section of the river.
Note that no Report Card was issued in 2013 and that the one issued prior to that was dated 2011 (for the year representing most of the available data, rather than the year it was issued, 2012.)
Acknowledgments
The Anacostia Watershed Society would like to thank the following organizations for technical assistance and/or funding for this report card:
AWS Supports Bottle Bill legislation in Maryland and DC. In DC, it’s called the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025 and in Maryland it’s called the Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program.
Every year, 5.5 billion single use beverage containers are sold in Maryland. That is an average of over 14 million plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass bottles purchased, used, and disposed of every day! However, despite curbside pick-up, less than a quarter of all that trash is actually captured for recycling. The rest, 4 billion containers, never get into the recycling stream. That is almost 2 bottles and cans per each of Maryland’s 6.2 million residents per day, every day, going to rapidly filling, often leaking landfills, to incinerators to be burned into toxic air pollution, or into our neighborhood streets, parks, and rivers. We have all seen the result: the streams and wetlands of the Anacostia clogged with plastic trash, fouling habitat for wildlife and fish and polluting our shorelines and parks.
The District of Columbia faces similar challenges. Today, more than 75% of the bottles and cans sold in the District are not recycled. They wind up buried in landfills, burned in incinerators, or dumped in our parks, neighborhoods and waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency designated the Anacostia River as “impaired by trash,” with plastic bottles alone amounting to 60% by weight of all the trash captured in trash traps and picked up in river clean-ups. Studies show that bottle bill states cut the amount of beverage container litter by between 69% to 84%, with the highest litter reduction rates in states with a ten-cent deposit. As shown in Figure 1, the District bottle bill will increase recycling rates by 3 more than three times to 85% and cut “wasted” containers by five times. Bottle Bill legislation passed in both DC and Maryland would at a stroke cut the total amount of trash going into the river every year by half.
Bottle Bills in Maryland and DC would establish a 10-15 cent deposit on single use plastic, aluminum and glass beverage containers, which would be returned when the containers are brought back to the store or a collection center. This system powerfully incentivizes recycling, as seen in the 10 U.S. states that have bottle bills, where recycling rates are 60%, 70%, even over 80%. Imagine how many plastic bottles and aluminum cans would be kept out of our rivers and streams with that much improvement in Maryland and the District’s unacceptably low 25% recycling rate.
The proven benefits of deposit/return systems like the Maryland Bottle Bill include:
Dramatically increased beverage container recycling rates. The estimated recycling rate, currently only 25% of containers sold in the state, would increase to more than 90% with the Bottle Bills.
Reduced beverage container litter and plastic pollution and an increase in water quality. The system would capture billions additional beverage containers annually, including over 2.3 billion plastic bottles, keeping that trash out of our neighborhoods, streets, parks, and rivers.
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions. By reducing the production of new cans and bottles from virgin materials, the additional recycling from this program would eliminate 231,707 metric tons of CO2 annually, the equivalent of removing the emissions of 50,371 cars.
Savings for taxpayers and local governments. The Bottle Bills would require beverage producers to finance the costs of collection, processing, and recycling of beverage containers, diverting those materials from landfills and incinerators and saving costs for taxpayers and local governments.
New job opportunities in collection, redemption, hauling, and processing recyclable material. In fact, recycling generated by a deposit program creates five times more jobs than landfilling or incineration.
The Anacostia Watershed Society conducts regular monitoring of water in the Anacostia River. Using data reported by government agencies as well as those by our own routine monitoring, we conduct analysis and identify trends and threats that shape our strategy. These analyses enable us to also track the progress of large-scale river restoration operations like the Clean Rivers Project and the Anacostia River Sediment Project in our role as the voice of the river.
We monitor several key indicators of water quality, including:
Amount of dissolved oxygen, which indicates the river’s ability to support aquatic life;
Fecal bacteria/ E. Coli. bacteria, which goes up after rainfall events. Before the implementation of the Clean Rivers Project by DC Water, major storms overwhelmed the combined sewer system, and still stormwater runoff washes pet waste and wildlife feces into the river;
Water clarity (Secchi Desk Depth);
Submerged aquatic vegetation, an important indicator of the river’s improving health;
Stormwater runoff volume;
Toxic sediments, buried in the river bottom and banks — a legacy of a century of industrial activities along the river;
Trash, which we capture trash using trash traps we have installed in several tributaries and categorize trash to accumulate trash data;
The Anacostia Watershed Society was founded in 1989 when a group of local residents, led by founder Robert Boone, came together to protest decades of destruction of the Anacostia River and the neighborhoods around the river.
Boone dubbed the Anacostia “the Forgotten River” and set out to make sure it wasn’t forgotten any longer. Over the years, the Anacostia Watershed Society has fought proposals for inappropriate development, sued polluters to hold them accountable, and worked with legislators to advance pioneering public policy across the District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County.
By basing our advocacy on carefully collected data, we have earned the respect of legislators, policy makers, corporate partners, and local advocates throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Some of our key policy victories have been successfully advocating for a fee on single use plastic bags, a ban on Styrofoam takeout containers and carcinogenic coal tar sealants, and a consent decree with DC Water that mandated the reduction of 98% of sewer overflows to the river.
Three Decades of Success
Over the past three decades, Anacostia Watershed Society has achieved significant victories on behalf of the Anacostia River and the neighborhoods of the watershed. Here are just a few highlights:
1988 – 1990 – National Arboretum Clean Up For decades the National Zoo had used the Arboretum’s river front property as a dump for animal waste. AWS leads the effort to stop the dumping and restore the area, which now is the site of the acclaimed Asia Garden as well as a riverfront dock site that offers access to the growing number of recreational boaters on the Anacostia River.
1989 – Hickey Run Restoration Anacostia Watershed Society alerts federal, state and local officials that three underground storage tanks were leaking hydrocarbons and antifreeze into Hickey Run, leading to an award winning retrofit of the Metro Bus facility on Bladensburg Road and the restoration of Hickey Run.
1992 – Kingman Island Theme Park Anacostia Watershed Society leads the effort to prevent a commercial developer from locating a theme park on Kingman Island, preserving the land as greenspace for recreation and environmental education.
1996 – Barney Circle Freeway Anacostia Watershed Society blocks a proposal to build an expensive highway connection over the river to divert downtown traffic, saving Southeast DC from air and noise pollution, the river from toxic pollution, and the citizens of DC from spending millions on unnecessary and destructive roadways.
1996 – Navy Cleanup Anacostia Watershed Society sues the U.S. Navy to force them to clean up PCBs left in the riverbed from ship building at the Navy Yard. AWS prevailed in the lawsuit and the Navy agreed to an $18 million cleanup.
1997 – Illegal Dumping Anacostia Watershed Society blows the whistle on illegal dumping on Kenilworth Park, within National Park Service land. Construction debris and garbage was being illegally dumped until AWS shut it down.
1999 – CSO Lawsuit Anacostia Watershed Society wins a landmark lawsuit against the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority’s Combined Sewer Outflow, which was dumping millions of gallons of untreated waste into the Anacostia with every rainstorm. As a result of this ruling, DC Water was required to construct a series of deep tunnels to prevent combined sewer spills into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. See 2023 below.
2005 – Sports Stadiums Anacostia Watershed Society successfully advocates legislation that required that new sports stadiums should be designed to LEED standards, to minimize impact on the Anacostia River. As a result, National’s Stadium and Audi Field are among the greenest sports facilities in the nation.
2009 – DC Bag Bill After an Anacostia Watershed Society study of trash in the river reveals the high prevalence of plastic bags, the DC Council passes a $.05 fee on bags to reduce their usage and to fund river restoration efforts. The bill has been a huge success and is being copied in cities across the country.
2010-2011 – Montgomery and Prince George’s County Stormwater Regulations Anacostia Watershed Society works with county leaders and advocates to adopt the strongest stormwater regulations in Maryland.
2011 – Pepco Benning Road Plant Clean Up Anacostia Watershed Society and other advocates go to court to block a proposed agreement between Pepco and the DC Government because the agreement didn’t fully address the contamination on the riparian areas near the Pepco plant. In 2012, Pepco agreed to close the outmoded plant, and in 2013 Pepco announced it would demolish the eyesore, and restore the site. Today, the plant is gone and the clean-up continues.
2014 – After years of advocacy by AWS and partners, the DC Council passes legislation requiring a plan for cleaning toxic sediment from the riverbed. DOEE launches the Anacostia River Sediment Project. See 2027 below.
2015 – Prince George’s County Bans Coal Tar Sealants and Plastic Foam Anacostia Watershed Society led the effort to ban coal tar sealants, which produce toxic runoff, and polystyrene foam containers, which are a major source of pollution in the Anacostia River. All three watershed jurisdictions now ban these products. Trash trap data indicated that since the polystyrene ban, Styrofoam pollution has been reduced by over 75%.
2015 – Anacostia Watershed Society launches our Mussel Power restoration program, becoming a pioneer for freshwater mussel restoration in the region.
2018 – The Anacostia River receives its first ever passing water quality grade on AWS’s State of the River Report Card.
2023 -The new, expanded combined sewer overflow tunnel system comes on line, reducing overflows of sewage into the river by over 95%. This is a direct result of the Clean Water Act lawsuit filed by AWS and partners in 1999.
2023 – Mussel Power education and restoration program is integrated into the Prince George’s County Public Schools science curriculum.
2023 – Pepco reaches a settlement to contribute $47 million to cleanup of toxic sediment.
2024 – Supported by advocacy by AWS and partners, Prince George’s County bans single-use plastic bags. Not long after, Montgomery County follows suit.
2027 – After years of study and preparation, the Anacostia River Sediment Project is expected to begin remediation of toxic pollutants in the bed of the river.
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