Anacostia River again receives failing grades from environmental group

Community clean-ups mark progress of Potomac and Anacostia rivers

****It’s Saturday morning on the Anacostia River, and the sun is filtering through the trees on Kingman Island. In the distance, a pair of deer splash across a large, lush cove. Six turtles tumble, one by one, from a sun-soaked log into the river below. “This is exactly what you think of when you think of Ward 7,” said a sarcastic Brent Bolin, director of advocacy for the Anacostia Watershed Society, who is steering the boat through Kenilworth Marsh. “The sad thing is, there are people living less than a mile away who have no idea this is here.” That’s because for many years, the Anacostia was one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Meanwhile, its larger neighbor, the Potomac, was the focus of a major ongoing cleanup. This could slowly be changing. Inlets such as Kenilworth Marsh are starting to show signs of revival. With the rise of nearby high-profile development projects such as Nationals Park and luxury apartments by the Navy Yard, the neglected Anacostia riverfront is getting attention. But environmentalists stress that because the region’s waterways are connected — the Anacostia flows into the Potomac, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay — a holistic approach to cleaning them is necessary. If one river is neglected, the region suffers. “The greatest concentration of PCBs [polychlorinated biphenyls], a serious poisonous toxicant in the Potomac, is the spot where the Anacostia enters it,” said Ed Merrifield, head of the Potomac Riverkeeper group. “So if you care about one, you care about the other.” Experts agree that both rivers need serious work. That’s why every year around this time, hundreds of cleanup sitesalong the Potomac and Anacostia rivers host thousands of Washington area volunteers in honor of Earth Day. They weed the wetlands, pick up litter and compile a bizarre list of found items that in recent years have included toilets, a Studebaker and a newspaper vending box for the long-shuttered Washington Star. River cleanups are important because they connect residents to resources in their back yard, said Kellie Bolinder, executive director of the Earth Conservation Corps. First-time volunteers are often stunned at how beautiful the Anacostia is, and they are inspired to help restore it, she said. There are several arguments as to why the Anacostia has been so neglected, primarily that it doesn’t supply drinking water, but the prevailing theory is that the communities surrounding the river — wards 6, 7 and 8 — have been forced to bear the brunt of the District’s waste. “America has a shameful history of putting our pollution on poor minorities, and there’s no other way to say it,” said Mike Bolinder, head of the Anacostia Riverkeeper group. “You can slice and dice it any way you want, but the Potomac got cleaned up first because it isn’t near poor minorities and toxic landfills.” Experts on both rivers acknowledge that cleanups have helped usher in progress, but they’re quick to caution residents about celebrating too soon. “Cleanups treat the symptoms of a much larger problem,” said Lori Arguelles, executive director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which promotes environmental education. “Without addressing the infrastructure problems that led us here, we’ll be holding cleanups a thousand years from now.” ****

U.S. Infrastructure gets D+ in annual report

This time they stood in front of a D.C. bridge that will cost $661 million to replace, but the whole point was that they could have used about 10,000 different places in America as their backdrop for an example of something critical that’s falling apart. The report card by the American Society of Civil Engineers showed the national infrastructure a single grade above failure, a step from declining to the point where everyday things simply stop working the way people expect them to. “When we’re talking about infrastructure, we never compute the cost of inaction,” said former Pennsylvania governor Edward G. Rendell, who now heads a coalition that promotes investment in infrastructure. “The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of doing something. It’s become this literally crazed idea that spending money is bad. Federal governments and state governments have to spend money on certain things that are important.” Using ratings by civil engineers in every state, the ASCE gave the national infrastructure an overall grade of D-plus, an average pulled down by some of the biggest problem areas — aviation, drinking-water supply, roads, transit and sewage treatment. Restoring it all to good working order will require an investment of $3.6 trillion by 2020, the ASCE concluded, and if the current level of spending continues it will fall short of that figure by $1.6 trillion. The call for vast new investment comes in an era of national austerity, and with a major source of infrastructure funding on the brink of bankruptcy. “These systems are the foundation. We need a commitment to bring infrastructure into a state of good repair,” said ASCE President Gregory E. DiLoreto, standing by the Anacostia River with the dilapidated Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge looming behind him. “We need leadership at all levels of government.” Maryland received a rating of C-minus from its civil engineers, scoring best for its restoration of bridges but low for managing storm water that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia scored a D-plus, with its better grades for parks, aviation and waterways, while it narrowly missed a failing grade for its handling of more than 1,000 dams. While the District did not receive an overall grade, the report noted that 99 percent of its streets were judged in poor or mediocre condition. The experts, joined by an outspoken cadre of former secretaries of transportation and by those who run different parts of the country’s infrastructure, have been sounding the warning for several years now. Their reports and studies all reach the same dire conclusion, but so long as lights come with a flick of the switch, streets are fairly smooth, water flows from the faucet, and trains and planes run mostly on time, their message does not seem to connect with most average Americans. In rating 16 areas of infrastructure, the engineers did find a couple of things to be happy about. With 34 percent of the nation’s trash now being recycled, solid waste management received a grade of B-minus. A $75 billion capital investment in railroads since 2009 has resulted in “a competitive resurgence as both an energy-efficient freight option and a viable city-to-city passenger service,” the ASCE said. Freight rail companies renewed 3,100 miles of track in 2010, the report said. The study awarded those rail efforts with a C-plus, which helped elevate the grade for all 16 categories to a D-plus, bumping it up from last year’s flat D. The news was not so good on aviation, where the engineers said the ability of the nation’s system to handle demand was so stretched that airport congestion and delays cost $22 billion in 2012. Aviation got a D, as did the nation’s transit systems. The ASCE said investment in deteriorating transit systems has not kept pace with a more than 9 percent ridership increase in the past decade, a demand that the group projects will continue to grow. School construction, rarely broken out in a separate category in infrastructure reports, has declined to about half of what it was before the recession, the report said. While there is little data on the state of the nation’s school buildings, the report pointed out that most of them were built to serve baby boomers, who now are at or near retirement age. Roadways, which generally get the most attention in these studies, again rated a D. The report noted that 42 percent of major urban highways are congested and that drivers and transport companies spend an estimated $101 billion a year in time and fuel while sitting in traffic. The study’s worst grades — a pair of D-minuses — were to two critical areas that escape public notice except when they fail. Inland waterways, called “the hidden backbone of our freight network,” have not been updated since the 1950s, and their current state of disrepair causes delays that cost consumers. The ASCE has been at the forefront of groups warning that post-World War II infrastructure is at the end of its natural life-span and needs immediate attention. But it has been joined by virtually every other national group with a stake in the game. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has estimated a need for $13 billion in investment in bridges in the next 50 years. One of the best bottom-line cost estimates came from an expert panel convened two years ago by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. To maintain infrastructure at current levels, $134 billion to $194 billion more needs to be spent each year through 2035. The federal government alone should come up with $2.3 trillion over that period.

The history of the Anacostia River

The Anacostia River might be small — 8.5 miles — but don’t be fooled by  its size. Its watershed, which stretches 176 miles across portions of the  District and Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, is the most developed area within the Potomac’s watershed, and arguably the most important. “The Anacostia watershed is extremely populated, developed and polluted,” said Ed Merrifield, head of the Potomac Riverkeeper group, “and because of its size, those things are highly concentrated. If you step back and look at the region’s water as a whole, the Anacostia is by far the most important chunk.” Long before the Anacostia River was nicknamed “the forgotten river,” the Nacotchtank Indians called it “anaquash,” which means “village trading center.” Historians estimate that Native Americans lived on the river for 10,000 years. In the early 1600s, English settlers began to clear forests in the watershed to grow tobacco and use the river as a shipping channel. Gradually, toxic silt began to build on the river’s bottom. By the mid-1800s, ships had trouble making it to the port at Bladensburg. The river, no longer useful for business, was abandoned. Over the next century, the District’s population grew tenfold, reaching 800,000 in 1950, which covered 25 percent of the Anacostia watershed with impervious surfaces. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than 10 percent of the area’s original forests and wetlands remain. But Mike Bolinder, head of the Anacostia Riverkeeper group, said that some recent developments have been welcomed by environmentalists, who hope for the birth of a green community along the riverfront. “Nationals stadium was probably the first time in history that environmentalists and developers were on the same side,” he said. “Environmentalists knew that development would bring money to clean up the area, and developers knew that in order to get permits, they had to go green.” During this year’s Earth Day cleanups, the parking lot at RFK Stadium was decorated with banners bearing the new slogan, “Rediscover your Anacostia.” “It really all comes down to people,” said Brent Bolin, the society’s director of advocacy. “You can do a hundred tests and give a hundred tours, but where there’s real estate, there’s progress.” **** **Litter:** Garbage has plagued the river for decades. More than 20,000 tons of trash pollute the river each year. **Location:** Bolinder said the Anacostia River is surrounded by lower-income communities that have not had an opportunity to advocate for themselves. “We want to inspire people who live in these communities to take action,” he said. **Stormwater runoff:** The Anacostia’s issues with stormwater runoff are closely tied to the region’s population growth. “More people means more pavement,” Bolin said. “Pavement is a superhighway for runoff.” **Bag tax:** Authorities say the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Act, also known as the “bag tax,” has reduced the river’s most common form of litter by about 75 percent since it was enacted two years ago. The fees also paid for trash traps on the river. One year after the fee was enacted, the District reported reductions in the use of paper and plastic bags from 22.5 million to 3.2 million. Montgomery County adopted the fee in January. **Talking trash:** Trash Free Schools, a litter reduction initiative by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, teaches students about recycling programs and waste management. Of the eight schools participating in the District and Prince George’s County, six are within walking distance of the Anacostia River. **Low-impact development:** Julie Lawson, of the Anacostia Watershed Society, said Nationals park set the bar for low-impact development with green roofs and a runoff control system. “It manages rainfall in a very sophisticated way,” she said. **** **Install a rain barrel.** Rain barrels keep stormwater from sweeping debris and chemicals into drains, and they provide clean water for tasks such as gardening. If used regularly, they can also reduce water bills. D.C. Greenworks (www.dcgreenworks.org) offers rebates for rain barrels. **Dig a rain garden.** Rain gardens are designed to soak up runoff. RiverSmart Homes, a program run by the District Department of the Environment, will reimburse homeowners $1.25 for every impervious square foot treated. Details are at ddoe.dc.gov/riversmarthomes. **Visit the Anacostia.** The Earth Conservation Corps (202-479-4505, Ext. 101) and Bladensburg Waterfront Park (www.pgparks.com) offer boat tours of the river, and the Anacostia Watershed Society holds cleanups, paddle boating clinics and native plant walks (www.anacostiaws.org). **** • Car parts such as tires, motors and a transmission. • Toilets, mattresses, tents, strollers and refrigerators. • Lawn mower motors, grills and three deer carcasses.

Saving the Anacostia, one cherry blossom at a time

If you think your sibling outshines you, then you know how the Anacostia River must feel about the Potomac. But Washington’s “other river” is ready for its much-needed moment in the spotlight. In keeping with this year’s theme of “celebrating the natural world,” the National Cherry Blossom Festival is teaming with the National Park Service to host an event in Anacostia Park that will show off the park’s assets. The river festival marks the official closing of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. The Park Service will plant a small grove of cherry trees for the Anacostia festival, with the goal of extending the cherry blossoms farther beyond the Tidal Basin and raising awareness of a threatened but critical local waterway. About 176 square miles of Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and the District of Columbia make up the Anacostia watershed, an area in which all the streams and rivers flow into the Anacostia. As an urban watershed, the area gives city residents the opportunity to engage in water and nature activities. But it is also exposed to pollution and toxic chemicals, making the waters unsafe for swimming and fishing. “The river is part of our city, our home, our neighborhood,” said Scott Kratz, director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, a future extension of Anacostia Park that will span the river. The river is home to more than 42 kinds of fish and 200 bird species, which Kratz said need protection. “We want to provide a safe and healthy home not only for us but for the animals, birds and plants that live in the river,” he said. Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, who works for the National Park Service, said she hopes the festival will help people “realize we’re part of a greater watershed and we have a duty” to clean up after ourselves. Small things such as taking reusable bags to the grocery store can help reduce the amount of trash that ends up in the river, she said. Kratz said the best way to get people to care about the river is to show them its wonders, such as bald eagles flying overhead, and its challenges, such as debris floating along the shore. “We protect what we love,” he said, “and if you don’t have access to the river . . . it’s hard to love it.” That’s why the festival will offer many ways to explore the river, such as free kayak and canoe rentals, shell exhibitions and rowing demonstrations. Organizers said they hope to inspire kids to embrace what the Anacostia has to offer, whether it’s morning bird-watching opportunities or afternoon rides along the Anacostia bike trail. “The Anacostia is a little gem that needs to be protected,” Anzelmo- Sarles said. Kratz and Anzelmo-Sarles say they are optimistic that the river is making a comeback, noticeable by the increase in animal populations. A growing number of ospreys in the area is particularly important because “they primarily eat fish, so that means the fish in the river are getting healthy enough to support an osprey population,” Kratz said. “So that’s a really good sign.” **— Sarah Polus  **

The danger to the Potomac River is real

Regarding Robert McCartney’s May 20 Metro column, “Potomac is endangered, but No. 1 ranking’s nothing but hype”: Mr. McCartney’s charge that my organization, American Rivers, distorted the truth by naming the Potomac River the nation’s most endangered river in 2012 is a classic case of shooting the messenger. For nearly 40 years, American Rivers has worked to protect and restore our nation’s rivers, using the list of the most endangered rivers as a critical tool. The report lists rivers facing key actions in the coming year — not the most polluted rivers — and inspires public engagement. We placed the Potomac River at the top of the list this year because it has unacceptable levels of agricultural and urban pollution and because of the threats posed by numerous bills in Congress that would strip the protections for the Potomac and rivers nationwide under the Clean Water Act. The designation of the Potomac and other rivers on our list is based on objective and subjective criteria, including chemical, physical, biological and, yes, political threats. All are real, and we ignore them at our peril and that of our children. ****William Robert Irvin,** Washington** The writer is president of American Rivers.

Promote the good — not the bad — about the Potomac River

The May 15 Metro article “Potomac tops list of imperiled U.S. rivers” unfortunately depicted our nation’s (and maybe the world’s) finest urban wilderness river as the country’s worst waterway ecologically. The advocacy group American Rivers cited all the river’s problems in the apparent hope that the revelations will help in the effort to preserve the Clean Water Act. Certainly this is laudable. But perhaps emphasizing all the good that the act has done for the Potomac and other rivers would send a better message to Congress as it debates the act’s future. Simply put, the Clean Water Act is working, and the Potomac is much cleaner than it was before the act was passed 40 years ago. There has been a resurgence of plant and animal life along its banks. This year, walkers along Billy Goat Trail have had the pleasure of viewing a nesting pair of bald eagles. Last autumn, I saw three otters splashing in the river not far from Cabin John. Lush grasses are sprouting up alongside Stubblefield Falls, a favorite hunting spot for the river’s healthy population of northern water snakes. Resident rockfish abound near Fletcher’s Cove, and this spring “a great number of largemouth bass were caught right out in front of the boathouse,” according to Dan Ward, who has been working at the cove for 30 years and writes an online fishing report. He also said he has “never before” seen such a variety of birds near the boathouse. The message to Congress should be that its decades-long effort to clean the Potomac and other waterways has been worthwhile, although there is still much to do. ****Sean Kelly,** Bethesda**

Anacostia River is Federal City Council’s newest focus

The attention of the District’s civic elite is turning to the health of the Anacostia River. The Federal City Council, the buttoned-up gathering of the city business titans, said Monday that it was adding the restoration of the long-polluted waterway to its short list of priority issues. The announcement comes as the Summit Fund of Washington, a philanthropic venture of energy executive Roger W. Sant, prepares to wind down, ending its substantial funding of Anacostia River organizations. It also comes 18 months after former mayor Anthony A. Williams, a staunch advocate of focusing new development on the river’s banks, took the council’s helm.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University Williams said in a statement that the council is looking forward  to joining local governments and other groups working to “transform the Anacostia into a showcase for a world class capital city.” Kevin Clinton, the council’s chief operating officer, said the group’s decision to embark on a major environmental initiative for the first time was “largely due” to Williams’s personal interest in the river “as a symbol of the divide in D.C. between east and west, but also as a symbol of the city’s potential.” “It’s just something he’s personally committed to and personally passionate about,” Clinton said. The group has hired Doug Siglin — a veteran of clean-water advocacy, most recently at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation — to manage its Anacostia efforts. His first task, he said, has been to meet with other groups involved in the river’s well-being to stake out areas of common ground. “We’ve had very good conversations with almost all the players,” Siglin said. “We’re going to try a create a new source of funding. … There is anxiety because a lot of the groups are very small operations, and the Summit Fund has been a big part of their funding for a long time.” Beyond the funding question, likely to be addressed though the creation of a nonprofit trust, Siglin said the Federal City Council expects to get involved in the large-scale aspects of cleaning up the river. With a multibillion-dollar plan to end sewage deposits in the river now underway, those are likely to include how to mitigate polluted storm runoff and how best to address the decades of contaminants deposited on the river bottom. The efforts, Clinton said, fit squarely in the council’s wheelhouse of pursuing ambitious projects that benefit the city as a whole and require engagement over a broader timeframe than the usual political cycles. The council remains engaged, he said, in its effort to promote public education reform, address downtown congestion, pursue new vehicles of infrastructure financing and improve the tourism industry.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University Restoring the Anacostia, Siglin said, is an ambitious project, but not so ambitious that the council can’t have a significant impact. “It’s a very different situation than, say, St. Louis,” Siglin said. “It can’t by itself clean up the river. … With cooperation from our partners in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, the District can actually get this done.”

Potomac River threatened by pollution, Congress, new report says

A new report named the Potomac the nation’s most endangered river, saying it is threatened by nutrient and sediment pollution that lowers the quality of drinking water and kills marine life and will only get worse if Congress rolls back regulations in the Clean Water Act. “America’s Most Endangered Rivers,” the annual report from the nonprofit advocacy group American Rivers, is to be released early Tuesday. It notes what local friends of the Potomac have said for years: that urban development is funneling tons of polluted rainwater to the river, that chemical fertilizer and manure from farms make matters worse, and that wastewater overflowing from sewers, along with pharmaceuticals flushed down toilets, contribute to dead zones in which marine life dies and might cause fish to switch sexes. Some male fish in the river mysteriously have eggs. Just as troubling, said American Rivers President Bob Irvin, is a range of proposals by House Republicans to strike various provisions from the Clean Water Act as it nears its 40th anniversary in October. The Senate has blocked many of these efforts, but advocates worry about future attempts. If Congress ends regulations that help clean the Potomac’s headwaters and limit pesticide use by municipalities and farms, “not only will the Potomac River suffer tremendous harm but other streams and rivers as well,” Irvin said. The report placed the Potomac atop nine other rivers nationwide, including the Green River, the largest feeder to the Colorado River, the Chattahoochee River, which runs by Atlanta, and the Missouri River, which flooded the Midwest last year. Critics of the report, some of them river stewards, said they appreciate American Rivers’ attempt to call attention to the river’s problems and looming congressional fights over regulation. But they said there’s no scientific basis to say one large American river is more endangered than another. Last year, the Susquehanna River topped the list of 10 most endangered rivers because of controversial drilling in Pennsylvania that uses hydraulic fracturing, employing high-pressure water blasts and chemicals to fracture shale rock and release natural gas. The Mississippi River is beset by polluted runoff from industrial agriculture, and the Chattahoochee, also on the endangered list, easily has issues equal to the Potomac’s, advocates say. Owing to its location, the Potomac is sometimes called “the nation’s river.” Five million people rely on it for drinking water. Since the 1960s, measurements by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin have shown its water quality improving. ICPRB spokesman Curtis Dalpra noted that the largemouth bass fishery has rebounded in some sections of the river and that sewage treatment plants are using sophisticated processes to remove nutrients or are slated for upgrades. The American Rivers report acknowledges the improvements but lashes out at Congress, labeling attacks on the Clean Water Act “relentless” and calling on lawmakers to shelve legislation that would roll back clean water regulations. American Rivers is not alone in its concern. Hedrick Belin, president of the Potomac Conservancy, said the river cannot improve if the federal government backs off its role in regulating pollution. “This is the nation’s capital,” Belin said. “We should be able to have a river where it’s not illegal to go swimming,” as it is in the District, and “where it’s not recommended to not eat the fish you catch.” Ed Merrifield, the Potomac Riverkeeper, said the Potomac is not as dirty as it was before the Clean Water Act became law, but it is hardly clean. Its water quality received a D in a report card last year by EcoCheck, a University of Maryland and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration partnership. The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority has invested heavily to stop sewage overflows, but they continue, and the sewage plant sends out skimmers periodically to remove trash on the river surface, and the river water is unhealthful, Merrifield said. “For years, we’ve been reading about the intersex in the fish, up to 80 percent in the places they’ve tested for it,” Merrifield said. “Yet there hasn’t been much of any action on this in Congress, and it’s very sad because all our drinking water comes from here. The best and safest drinking water comes from healthy rivers and streams.”

The Potomac River, in good health and bad

****If the Potomac River has gotten more attention than the Anacostia in the past 50 years, it’s partly because the Potomac supplies 90 percent of the region’s drinking water. That amounts to an average of 486 million gallons a day, according to the Potomac Conservancy. The Potomac watershed, which includes 14,670 miles of land that drains to the river, covers parts of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District, Maryland and Virginia. In the 1950s, reports of stench and dangerous levels of pollution clouded the Potomac’s reputation. But the 383-mile river wasn’t always in such bad shape. **** In 1608, Capt. John Smith described the Potomac and Anacostia rivers as being full of wildlife. More than 300 years later, a 1914 Public Health Service study found the Potomac in “generally good condition” with “ample oxygen.” But things soon went downhill. The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin reported that the District’s raw and partially treated sewage doubled between 1932 and 1956. And in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the river a “national disgrace.” “Johnson’s words sparked a renewed interest in the Potomac,” said Ed Merrifield, of the Potomac Riverkeeper group. “The river had really become an embarrassment.” The Clean Water Act was a turning point for the river, prompting federal laws on sewage effluents and major updates to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility in Southwest Washington. Fisheries reopened, largemouth bass reappeared, and litter levels in the Potomac fell drastically. But years of stagnating pollution continue to haunt the river in less obvious ways. A 2005 U.S. Geological Survey found, to the public’s horror, intersex fish that developed as a result of severely contaminated waters. The most recent report by the Potomac Conservancy downgraded the river from a D+ (2007) to a D (2011), citing poor land use in a rapidly growing region and a host of emerging contaminants. “Today, the river is in danger of slipping backwards,” said Curtis Dalpa, the commission’s communications manager, “and not because of a lack of effort but because of rapid population growth.” **Storm-water runoff and combined sewer overflows:** Storm-water runoff occurs during periods of rainfall or snowmelt. The water, which can’t soak into hard surfaces such as paved driveways, sidewalks and streets, flows into nearby storm drains, picking up road oils, garbage and chemicals. Cities use combined sewer systems to collect runoff and wastewater and keep it from flowing into nearby waterways. The region’s sewage is transported to a plant for treatment and then discharged into the Potomac. But the District’s sewer systems can only hold so much. When it rains, the pipes overflow and release excess wastewater into the river. Robin Broder, vice president of Potomac Riverkeeper, said combined sewage overflows are most common in older East Coast cities, where the population has outgrown antiquated sewer systems. **Invisible pollutants:** Many problems the Potomac faces aren’t visible. “Today, our problems are hidden in the form of new contaminants that didn’t exist 20 years ago,” Merrifield said, “and we don’t have the technology to completely remove them yet.” Those contaminants are largely from pharmaceuticals and personal-care products, such as antidepressants, birth control pills and some shampoos and lotions with endocrine-disrupting compounds that, when improperly discarded or flushed down the toilet, contaminate the river. **** **** **Green Streets:** Montgomery County officials are tackling storm water by planting grassy areas along roads where rainwater can dissipate and soak in before running off highways and parking lots. Those projects, called Green Streets, are an example of low-impact development efforts in the Potomac watershed. Officials plan to retrofit 30 percent of the hard-surface areas this way. **Wastewater treatment upgrades:** Over the past 40 years, the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest in the world, has undergone significant expansion and updating. It can treat 370 million gallons of sewage a day. Over the next 15 years, D.C. Water, which operates Blue Plains, has planned about $4 billion in improvements, including modernizing the city’s sewers and building three Metro-size tunnels to store runoff when it rains. Julie Lawson of the Anacostia Watershed Society said that when completed, the tunnels will reduce combined sewage overflows by 98 percent. **Read labels.** Buy personal hygiene products made with natural ingredients. “If you can’t pronounce the chemicals on the ingredients label, you probably don’t want to buy it, and you definitely don’t want to flush it down the toilet,” Broder said. For information on medication disposal, visit www.disposemymeds.org. To find products that are environmentally friendly, go to www.   ewg.org/skindeep. **Control lawn care:** Avoid using fertilizer and pesticides near ditches and gutters, where they can flow into storm drains. If possible, treat your lawn during dry weather, because heavy rainfall creates runoff. It is illegal to dispose of lawn and garden chemicals in storm drains. “The Potomac won’t be safe until we change our behavior” Merrifield said, “and that’s the toughest part. How do you explain to a person that by over-fertilizing their lawn in Olney, they’re contributing to the dead zones in the Potomac and the Bay?” **Get informed.** The Alice Ferguson Foundation, which started the first Potomac Watershed Cleanup 24 years ago and is headquartered at Hard Bargain Farm in Accokeek, Md., is hosting its annual Spring Farm Festival on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event includes a history of the Potomac River, a plants and crafts sale, hay wagon rides, barn tours and live music. • DirecTV satellite dish that had been used as a barbecue grill • Giant plastic crocodile head and headless dog lawn sculpture • Medical waste such as an IV drip bag, a pack of hypodermic needles and a vial of blood • Decaying cow heads, a bag of rotting chicken parts and a chopped-up deer in a bag

Fixing the District — a plan for east of the river

__ We are longtime residents of the District’s Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River. Every four years, issues affecting the 150,000 residents on our side of the Anacostia get attention, and posters and T-shirts proclaim that we are all that year’s variation of “One City.” But when the votes have been counted and the excitement dies down, our neighborhoods’ disconnection with the rest of the District remains. Here is a simple but profound truth: We in Wards 7 and 8 are separated from the far larger and richer part of the District by a polluted river and 1,000 acres of securely fenced-off (or seriously neglected) federal land. So here’s a suggestion for Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser (D): Act aggressively to make the river and the acres around it a place that really unites our city, instead of one that holds us apart. She doesn’t have to start from scratch. The Anacostia River is better than it used to be. Sewage overflows have declined, and the big tunnel project, scheduled for completion in 2022, will dramatically reduce bacteria in the water. The amount of plastic bags and trash in the river is down, too. With the District finally developing a plan to deal with the industrial toxic chemicals still in the sediment, prospects for restoring the river are pretty good. But pulling us together is about more than simply cleaning up the water. We need a plan to improve the public land next to the river — on both sides. More than a decade ago, Mayor Anthony Williams (D) created a comprehensive plan for both sides of the Anacostia and a public-private partnership to implement it. But the next mayor killed it, and little has happened since. A children’s education center planned for Kingman Island was scratched. The National Park Service, which is in charge of most of the east riverbank, never receives the budget it needs to significantly improve the park. Yet on the west side, a glitzy new neighborhood has sprouted north and west of the Washington Navy Yard, driven by a federal law allowing private development of the Southeast Federal Center, the largest federal Hope VI public housing project in history and the District’s investment in Nationals Park. As the next mayor, Bowser can repair the great divide through the center of the nation’s capital. Here’s how to get started: Commit to cleaning up the toxic chemicals in and around the river bottom. Make Kingman Island a shining place for kids to explore. Fulfill the terms of the agreement that would transfer Poplar Point and part of Kenilworth Park to the District. Create a strong new partnership with the National Park Service to plan and implement a riverside eco-park on our side of the river, as so many other cities have done. Ask local and national philanthropies to help — we cannot do it alone. Improving the land around the river could provide not only tangible education and training opportunities for young people but also a place for families to enjoy. It could include a permanent cultural display, such as a remembrance of the history of the Nacotchtank people and the generations of Washingtonians who have called the east side of the river home. We have plenty of challenges in Wards 7 and 8 — jobs, education and a real lack of basic neighborhood amenities. Restoring the Anacostia and creating a great eco-park won’t fix all our issues, but it would raise our next generation’s sights by showing them the natural wonders in the middle of the nation’s capital. Moreover, it would make kids on the east side of town feel a little less like residents of another world, separate and unequal. As Bowser takes office, our hope is that four years from now, we can talk about the real progress that has been made to turn the Anacostia River area into a jewel that unites us all. **Read more about this issue:** The Post’s View: A Ward 8 election that could have been so much more Colbert I. King: Can Muriel Bowser win over alienated voters? Jonetta Rose Barras: The right way to invest in Anacostia Colbert I. King: Undermining a school and Anacostia’s youth

A swimmable Anacostia River? Something to look forward to, in a decade or more.

Dev Murali and Doug Siglin each have a vision of the Anacostia River. Murali’s is of a fish caught by one of the anglers who rely on the D.C. waterway for sustenance. Its mouth is red and grotesquely misshapen, inflamed by the tumors that afflict many of the fish in the river’s carcinogen-thick waters. Siglin’s image of the Anacostia is one that might be difficult to envision. He waxes poetic about business booming on both banks, about recreational boating and fishing, even about children swimming in the water. Murali’s view of the Anacostia is accurate, but both men think they can turn Murali’s reality into Siglin’s dream. The men are part of a coalition of city and U.S. government officials, nonprofit organizations and corporations that are working to reverse the effects of decades of heavy industrial pollution on the river that cuts through Washington. The Anacostia is a strip of dirty water that is as much a cultural and socioeconomic divide as a geographic one. It will take hundreds of millions of dollars, years of labor and possibly going to court. But the Anacostia activists think they are on an achievable path to a river that is safe, clean and swimmable. “It’s not a question of if it gets cleaned up. It’s a question of when,” said Siglin, the executive director the Federal City Council’s Anacostia River Initiative. Siglin’s goal? Ten years until the Anacostia is clean enough to swim in. The District’s official goal is a bit more modest. There’s nothing in writing that promises when the city will get the river cleaned up. But in budget legislation passed in June, the D.C. Council did require that the city settle on a plan for cleaning the river by June 2018. First, officials must determine the extent of the pollution. Right now, that’s not easy to do. Studies have shown that up to a quarter of the river’s brown bullheads, a type of catfish that feeds on the toxin-clogged sediment at the bottom of the Anacostia, have skin tumors, and as many as half have liver tumors. A lot of waste has been dumped into the waterway. The Navy Yard, once the world’s largest producer of naval ordnance, sits on the Anacostia and has been accused of leaking carcinogenic PCBs into the water for decades. The riverbanks have hosted a coal gasification plant, a rail yard, power and gas facilities and other heavy industry, all of which used chemicals that could pollute the water. But which chemicals haunt the waters, and in what quantities, remains unknown. “You’d find magma before you’d find the end of the toxins. Nobody knows how toxic it is,” Siglin said. So as the first step toward the District’s mandate to create a plan for reviving the river, boats have started traversing its nine-mile length, taking water and sediment samples at dozens of points along the way. The District Department of the Environment hired engineering firm TetraTech to do the work. Last summer, TetraTech took 249 samples at 83 spots along the Anacostia. The work cost $2 million, according to Richard Jackson, deputy director of the District’s Environmental Services Administration. Now those samples are in laboratories where TetraTech’s engineers are testing them for a long list of toxins, including PCBs. The firm is about to start a second phase of sample collecting, which will gather specimens at 55 additional locations. The goal, city employees say, is to complete the testing by February and the laboratory analysis by April. Once they know what is in the water — and where — they will research what can be done. “If the toxins are in the sediment, there’s only two things to do — get it out and take it somewhere, or cover it,” Siglin said. That means dredging — potentially digging up miles of the river bottom — or capping, which is placing a hard material over a particularly polluted spot by using chemicals that will break down the toxins over time. Studying alternative cleanup options will take most of 2016 and 2017, the Environment Department said. By 2018, a final plan would be chosen. Of course, officials also must figure out who will pay for the cleanup. Federal law requires polluters to pay the cleanup costs. That means the study to be completed by 2018 will need to adjudicate blame. The parties will need to decide how much of the chemicals come from, say, Pepco’s activities on the river, how much from the CSX rail yard, how much from the Navy. And although estimates vary drastically, the cost of the cleanup is expected to be high. Siglin said it could be $100 million; Jackson thinks it could exceed $500 million; Murali said it “easily” could be $1 billion. The likelihood is that it will take a court battle to determine who should pay and how much. But Jackson said he has faith that the cleanup will be funded eventually. Murali said that modern-day limits on industrial pollution, and smarter stormwater management that keeps pollutants from running off roadways and into the river, should prevent the Anacostia from ever becoming this polluted again, after the cleanup is finished. “At the end of the entire phase, we want to make sure that the river is much cleaner than it is right now. We want to bring the life back to the river,” Murali said. “We want to see more people fishing. We want to see people taking their boats to go out on the river. We want to see economic development, because when it looks nicer, you’ll have more business development.” That’s a vision that he and Siglin share. “The Anacostia has always been this divider of the city,” Siglin said. “Ultimately the significance is if we make the public land around the river nice, if we make the river clean, we’re going to knit the city back together.”

Is D.C.’s 5-cent fee for plastic bags actually serving its purpose?

The District of Columbia’s 5-cent bag fee — heralded as one of the nation’s most successful “bag laws” — has become a familiar and accepted routine at cash registers across the city. Shoppers who need a paper or plastic bag shell out just a nickel, a price so nominal that some don’t even notice the charge. Six years ago, lawmakers sold the new legislation as a way to clean the Anacostia River, a waterway notorious for its toxic history and cringe-worthy pollutants, from soda bottles and cigarette butts to rusty tires and raw sewage. A catchy slogan — “Skip the Bag, Save the River” — promoted the river-cleaning cause. The nickels from the bag fee have contributed about $10 million — since 2010 — to the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund. “I think it’s been one of the most successful legislative interventions into a known trash problem in decades,” said Tommy Wells, the former D.C. Council member who crafted the law in 2009 and now heads the District Department of the Environment. “I think it’s been extraordinarily successful.” Despite the growing praise for the program, the reality is as murky as the Anacostia, according to a recent city audit and The Washington Post’s review of the fund. Measurements for success are admittedly nonscientific and vary widely, and more of the fund money has been allocated for field trips for schoolchildren and employee salaries than to tangible cleanup projects on the river and its watershed. The largest grant from the fund so far, $1.2 million, will be paid over the next two years to send every D.C. fifth-grader on a two-night field trip at campsites outside the District, some up to 30 miles from the Anacostia River. Ten thousand children will participate in activities designed to provide a “meaningful watershed education experience,” such as canoeing, talking about trash, conducting water-quality experiments and learning to milk a cow. In addition, more than $1.7 million of fund money went toward personnel costs, according to data provided to The Post under the D.C. Freedom of Information Act. The Post’s review showed that only about one-third of spending and allocations had gone toward trash traps to clean the river, rain barrels and rain gardens to catch runoff, green roofs, tree plantings, or stream restoration. Julia Robey Christian, a spokeswoman for the Department of the Environment, disputed how The Post categorized the spending. She said the one-third estimate is low because that figure should include the salaries of employees who are essential in implementing the law. Keith Anderson, who led the department from 2012 to 2014, told The Post that he stands by how funds have been spent. “I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” he said. Both Christian and Anderson said the field trips fulfill the law’s priority for youth education. “Whatever they learn 30 miles away, they can use in their own back yard,” Anderson said. “The point of this legislation is to make sure our river is fishable and swimmable by 2032.” When the legislation passed in 2009, lawmakers described it as a “new and aggressive” way to clean the river. There are questions, however, about whether the spending has lived up to that promise. The audit, released in October, found that fund money paid for portions of the salaries of 17 employees, although only one new position was created as a result of the fee. A draft of the audit, obtained by The Post, contained a finding that using the fund to pay for preexisting salaries may have violated the bag law. The law includes a clause that the fund money cannot be used to “supplant,” or replace, funding for annual river-cleaning activities. But after the department objected to the auditor’s interpretation of the law, the personnel costs were relabeled a “concern” rather than a formal audit finding, and there was no mention of the clause. Kathy Patterson, who became the D.C. auditor in December after the audit’s completion, told The Post that the report was produced by an audit manager who has left the office. “We should have recommended that the council revisit the ‘supplant’ language and repeal it if they were not serious about the department spending solely on new activities or new hires to work on these issues,” she said. The draft also showed that a hefty 43 percent of the fund’s expenditures went to administer the program over four years. But after the department contended that it wasn’t fair to lump personnel, legal and overhead expenses into one administrative category, the final audit did not calculate the total administrative costs. “The draft audit report obtained by The Washington Post was just that — a draft,” Christian said. “We were able to clarify issues to ensure that the final report was accurate.” The law lays out 14 priorities for spending money, including public awareness, education, wildlife conservation and cleanup. About $6.8 million of the $10 million in the fund has been spent or allocated. The audit examined the fund from 2010 to 2013. It listed projects, including: more than $800,000 toward trash traps; $242,000 for rain barrels; more than $200,000 to train environmental ambassadors and stewards; and nearly $29,000 for a survey to figure out how people feel about litter (most are bothered by it). More than $600,000 has been spent on advertising, including $49,016 to The Post. Wells, who took over for Anderson in January, said he might have set different priorities if he had been in charge earlier. “I might spend it differently,” he said. The spokeswoman later clarified Wells’s comment. “Director Wells’s comment was not intended to insinuate that spending choices made by previous directors were inappropriate, rather that as the context of the law’s implementation changes, so should the spending priorities,” Christian said. Wells said he has plans to allocate $500,000 of fund money to restore a tributary called Nash Run. Other plans include $79,000 for boat tours on the Anacostia. Anderson, the former director who now runs the Department of Parks and Recreation, said that under his watch, there were more than 1,600 rain gardens installed and 12 tons of trash captured as a result of bag-fee funds. “This takes personnel,” he said. “This takes bodies. This takes boots on the ground.” Over the past five years, the D.C. bag fee has been promoted as a stunning environmental success that spurred many District shoppers to eschew disposable bags in favor of reusable totes. D.C. officials have repeatedly based that claim on estimates made almost immediately after the law went into effect in 2010. After the fee started, within months officials released figures showing a drop from a purported 22.5 million bags used per month to 3.3 million — an 85 percent decrease. Those figures have made their way into countless news stories, academic reports and the U.S. congressional record. But there is little evidence that such a sudden, drastic reduction occurred. “Well, I know that we did a back-of-the-envelope calculation, which is about as unscientific as possible,” Wells said. According to a footnote in a report from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer in 2009, there was no reliable estimate of bag use in the District. So officials modified estimates from Seattle Public Utilities, which came from a 2004 waste-composition study that involved sifting through loads of trash in garbage trucks. D.C. officials came up with a figure of 270 million bags used annually in grocery, drug, convenience and liquor stores in the District — more than 450 per person. Phil Rozenski, director of sustainability for South Carolina-based Novolex, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of plastic and paper bags, said he pointed out to D.C. officials that the Seattle numbers exceeded federal estimates for the number of plastic bags the average American used. “If you overestimate the number to begin with, it’s easy to claim success,” Rozenski said. “Their original estimates were murky.” Revenue from the bag fee has increased each year since the fee’s inception. District officials now promote the program’s success based on a local survey in 2013 funded by $60,000 of bag-fee money paid to the Alice Ferguson Foundation. The survey asked 600 residents of D.C. households how many disposable bags they used before the fee, compared with their current use. The results of the survey showed that District households, on average, estimated they had decreased bag use by 60 percent, from 10 bags a week to four. Other cities considering bag laws have referenced the huge drops in bag use in the District. In November, Anderson led a D.C. delegation that testified before the New York City Council, which is considering a 10-cent fee on paper and plastic bags. D.C. officials touted the 60 percent drop. City Councilman David G. Greenfield (D) said in the hearing that he was “perplexed” by the presentation of “impressive-sounding statistics” when tax data for the District, which he found from a Google search that led to a Post article, showed no drop in fee revenue. “What that means, logically, is that people are still paying to use bags, and therefore you have not significantly reduced that,” Greenfield said at the time. A member of the D.C. delegation responded that the key measure of the law’s success was the 60 percent drop, not the revenue figures. Wells told The Post that the revenue is not declining because new grocery stores have opened in the District and there is less “leakage” of shoppers to stores in Virginia and Maryland. Wells said he thinks the real proof can be seen in the Anacostia River. On a recent afternoon he pointed out his office window in NoMa, saying that he didn’t see any bags billowing in nearby trees. He noted that bald eagles have returned to the District’s Arboretum. And recently, he saw a bird fly by and pick up a fish from the Anacostia River. Years ago, he joked, a bird eating from the river would have fallen out of the sky — dead. “I’m focusing on trash, not the number of bags used,” Wells said. “The point with this wasn’t to make you stop using bags. The point was to get the uncaptured trash out of the environment . . . the stuff that ends up in the ocean, the stuff that ends up in the rivers.” Wells pointed to another figure from the Alice Ferguson Foundation that showed a 60 percent drop in bags recovered in annual volunteer cleanups of the Potomac Watershed. The foundation’s executive director said the data should be considered anecdotal because it is subject to changes in weather and cataloguing methods. The Post asked for the raw data for all cleanup sites in the District since 2007. The foundation provided summary data that showed about a 30 percent drop in bags. The director later said missing data had been uncovered, showing that the drop was actually more than 70 percent. Another nonprofit group, the Anacostia Watershed Society, said it has counted plastic bags at its trash trap at Nash Run since 2009. More than $115,000 in bag fee money has gone into maintaining the trap, which is near the Deanwood neighborhood. On a Friday in April, rain showers drove a steady flow of garbage into the trap. An empty Welch’s juice bottle, a foam container and a Doritos bag were among the finds. Just upstream, two plastic bags were caught in the tree limbs dangling over the water. “It’s amazing, the power of a nickel,” said Jim Foster, president of the society. The society has reported declines in bags collected, but the data shows a recent uptick. This year, the trap is collecting roughly the same number of bags per kilogram of total trash as it did in 2009, before the fee began. “The whole point of the bag fee isn’t that the river is going to suddenly be clean and mermaids will appear,” Foster said. “It’s an incremental difference.”

D.C. Water debuts a new fleet of ‘skimmers’ designed to keep the Anacostia clean

D.C. Water’s crew of river-based trash busters has gotten a major upgrade — another step in the long journey to return the Anacostia River to a place where people will again be able to swim, fish and frolic in it. The agency has acquired two new skimmer boats to replace older models that have been in service for more than a decade but in their final years were spending as much time in the repair shop as they were on the water removing trash. “Visually, this embodies our joint commitment to clean up this body of water,” D.C. Water General Manager George S. Hawkins said as he stood along the banks of the Anacostia at the Yards Park docks showing off the new fleet. Behind him, one of the two 50-foot boats, painted a soothing shade of light blue and emblazoned with the agency’s logo, bobbed in the water. The new skimmers, which cost about $1 million, are bigger and faster and should make the effort to clear trash and debris from the river even more efficient. Each year the boats remove 300 to 500 tons of trash from the region’s waterways, Hawkins said. “There’s really a need for these guys,” said Emily Franc, the riverkeeper at the nonprofit Anacostia Riverkeeper. Anacostia Riverkeeper is an advocacy organization working to restore the river. The skimmers are just one element of a multipronged, multiagency strategy to clean the Anacostia and return it to swimmable, fishable condition, said Jeffrey Seltzer, associate director of the Water Quality Division at D.C.’s Department of Energy and the Environment. Along with government agencies, a network of nonprofit groups also has been critical players, developing educational initiatives designed to educate the public about the importance of maintaining the region’s waterways, Seltzer said. There have been other actions as well. The District’s 5-cent plastic bag tax that went into effect in 2010, has helped reduce the number of bags that turn up in the river and provided money to pay for other programs. A ban on foam food containers that went into effect last year is also aimed at reducing the number that turn up in the region’s waterways. Funds from the bag tax have helped pay for trash traps placed in strategic points to capture trash before it reaches the river. Cameras have been installed to monitor “hot spots” where people dump things in the river. “All of these things, from policy to education to implementation, are really all pieces of the puzzle,” Seltzer said. “There is no one silver bullet.” The work that D.C. Water does is another huge piece, he said, because the skimmer boats serve as a critical last line of defense once trash has reached the river. At a time when major developments are taking root near Nationals Park and along the Southwest Waterfront, such efforts are even more important, officials say. “As a city, we are rediscovering that we live by the water,” said D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6). Allen recalled how a decade ago, he had brought his wife to a spot along the Anacostia to explain how officials planned to transform an area that consisted mostly of light industrial developments to a place where people could live, work and play. Now with the ballpark, new restaurants and grassy parkland, the transformation is taking root, he said. The new skimmers are “a concrete, significant investment to get the river we want,” he said. Unlike their predecessors the newest members of D.C. Water’s river fleet, have spiffy new monikers — chosen, of course, through a social media campaign that invited the public to vote on their favorites. The nominations included some doozies. Allen joked that he was disappointed his favorites, “Plastic” and “Bottle” didn’t make the cut. In the end, the public settled on “Flotsam” and “Jetsam,” which will be painted on each one. The boats are 50 feet long and weigh 26,000 pounds each. Able to reach a maximum speed of three or four knots, they are not fast, but they are efficient at removing trash and debris from the river. The skimmers are equipped with metal conveyor belts that glide along the surface capturing solid items, which are then moved to the back of the boat. At the controls on this particular day was Thomas Johnson, who has worked at D.C. Water for almost two decades. He started as a meter reader and eventually moved to his current job as a skimmer boat operator. D.C. Water has been operating the boats since the early 1990s. Johnson remembers a time when their holds would fill quickly with all manner of trash — chairs, shopping carts. Johnson carefully maneuvered the skimmer away from the dock. He controlled the boat using a pair of joysticks — one on each side of his seat. As he approached the middle of the river, he lowered the long metal skimmer and opened its “jaws.” The brownish water filtered through the metal grooves. Johnson said he’s still getting used to the “feel” of the new boats, but likes the purr of the engines and the way they maneuver. Not much turns up on this quick trip — a few small logs and a forlorn ice cream wrapper. Even so, that’s one less wrapper floating in the Anacostia. “The river is already getting cleaner,” said Tommy Wells, the former D.C. Council member who is now director of the District’s Department of Energy and Environment. “We’re not there yet, but with all this work it is getting cleaner.”

Potomac ‘most endangered’? Just hype.

Just because you’re promoting a worthy cause doesn’t justify distorting the truth. That’s a principle violated in Washington perhaps more than anywhere, most recently in an attention-grabbing report by an environmentalist organization declaring the Potomac to be “America’s #1 Most Endangered River.” The top ranking wasn’t based on pollution levels or other scientific data. It wasn’t warranted by trends or policy changes that threaten our river more than any other. It isn’t as if the Potomac has been gradually creeping up the roster and finally reached the peak. This was the river’s third appearance since the annual list began in 1986. No, the advocacy group American Rivers highlighted the Potomac this year primarily for slick political and public-relations motives. The group picked what it called “the nation’s river” in order to rouse citizens to fight efforts in Congress to weaken the Clean Water Act on the law’s 40th anniversary. It helped that it’s an election year, when Washington is in the news. The strategy worked. Officials with American Rivers were pleased when local radio, television and newspaper reports gave the story a good ride. Most coverage omitted or buried that pesky detail that the No. 1 ranking was essentially a subjective judgment by a group with an agenda. Public-relations experts faulted both American Rivers for hyping the story and the media for being too ready to bite. “The number one ranking implies that the Potomac is worse than everything else. How is that not a lie?” said Paul Argenti, a corporate communication professor at Dartmouth. “You have to have some sort of measurable justification when you do a ranking,” he said. Kent Holland, a partner at the Plesser Holland public-relations firm in Washington, criticized American Rivers for being “disingenuous” but added, “The other side of the question is, where’s the skepticism from the Fourth Estate?” Now, here are two important caveats. First, I am 100 percent behind American Rivers’ mission to reduce pollution in U.S. waterways. For the sake of all our region’s rivers, plus the Chesapeake Bay, I share the group’s concern about proposals that would cripple the Environmental Protection Agency. Second, the Potomac is unquestionably at risk. Pollution washing off farms upstream remains a major problem. The river also faces a growing threat from dirty runoff from roads and other pavement in steadily expanding suburbs and urban areas. Scientists still don’t fully understand how chemicals in the Potomac are causing male fish to start turning female, or what exactly that means for humans. Without improved controls, four decades of real progress could be reversed and imperil the source for drinking water for 5 million people. Nonetheless, it was still maddening that nothing of substance in the American Rivers report justified proclaiming on its Web site that the Potomac is more “endangered” than every other U.S. river. Its announcement offered a fuzzy explanation that the Potomac’s problems are “emblematic of what’s at stake for rivers nationwide.” Consider this: One of the report’s few specifics was a reference to the Potomac’s recent “D” grade for ecosystem health from EcoCheck, a partnership between scientists from the University of Maryland and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But the same study gave lower grades to four other waterways in our region, including “F’s” for both the Patuxent and Elizabeth rivers. American Rivers officials acknowledged in interviews that the ranking isn’t strictly objective and relies in part on political criteria. “Any time you have a list, whether it’s the top 10 movies of the year or the top 10 endangered rivers, there’s always some subjective judgment applied,” said Bob Irvin, the group’s president. “If our list were solely a list of what does the chemistry tell us is the most polluted river in the country, that probably would not change from year to year.” Indeed, the “Top 10” are new almost every year — helping to attract media attention and gin up donations in a new set of media markets each time. Last year’s No. 1, the Susquehanna, was picked to highlight the threat posed by the natural-gas mining technology known commonly as “fracking.” Hydraulic fracturing is still around, but the Susquehanna didn’t make this year’s list. American Rivers’ misrepresentation risks hurting the authority and believability of the green movement as a whole. Many other environmental organizations are rigorous about using scientific research to back up their reports. “This is exactly what [nonprofit] organizations like theirs accuse corporations of doing. When you start acting like this, you lose credibility with people who are trying to do the right thing,” Argenti said. Since I’m partly faulting my own profession here, I ought to mention that The Washington Post handled the story responsibly. The headline didn’t mention the No. 1 ranking, and the sixth paragraph noted that critics said there was “no scientific basis” to judge one large American river as more endangered than another. Still, when next year’s report comes out, maybe we ought to ignore it.

Anacostia Watershed Society sets ambitious goal for river cleanup

For almost seven years, James Foster has been working for the Anacostia River. But only for the last few months has he been working _on_ the river. “I love being on the water. I almost don’t care if it’s in a rowboat or in the S.S. Minnow or whatever,” Foster said recently, sitting on a barge moored east of Fort McNair. “For me, it’s a logical and spiritual connection.” Foster is president of the Anacostia Watershed Society , which is headquartered upriver in Bladensburg. Since May, the organization has had an auxiliary office on two barges anchored at the Eastern Power Boat Club. Formerly the property of the Gangplank Marina, the barges were relocated to facilitate construction of the Wharf redevelopment along the Washington Channel. “I’m working to clean up this river. So this is where I need to be,” Foster said. “This is where the people are.” Actually, aside from boaters and rowers, there don’t seem to be many people on this section of the Anacostia. The recently built bike trail gets little traffic, and the section of Water Street SE that leads to the marina hits a dead end. But change is coming, Foster predicted. “You can see it reflected in the economic development that’s happening around Nats Park,” about a dozen blocks to the west, he said. “People are coming back there, and they’re anticipating that the water’s going to be clean. They want to walk along the river; they want to have waterfront property.” So far, the two AWS barges have been used only for office work and meetings. “I’m still not quite ready to bring mass quantities of people in here,” Foster said. “The infrastructure’s still a little not done, shall we say.” AWS has installed a composting toilet in one of the barges, and may add solar power and green roofs. In the long term, though, the organization expects its D.C. outpost will be at the 11th Street Bridge Park, projected to open in 2019. As part of that project, AWS will have a classroom and a dock for canoes and kayaks. That will support the organization’s Saturday Environmental Academy, a 10-week spring and fall program for children from Wards 7 and 8. It could also provide a landing for Foster, who sometimes commutes from Bladensburg by boat. A recently published AWS brochure, titled “A Waterway to 2025,” reflects the organization’s goal of having a swimmable and fishable Anacostia within 10 years. “I think we should be able to expect to get in the water without having to check a Web site,” Foster said. “I think that we should able to eat the fish from the water without having to worry that they’re contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Right now, about 50 percent of our resident catfish are contaminated and have tumors and lesions.” Foster acknowledged that AWS has set an ambitious timetable. “Whether it’s going to be 2025, as I say, or 2032, as some of the D.C. officials say, it’s going to be in that time frame,” he said. The river’s principal contemporary pollutant is untreated sewage, which enters from D.C. sewers that combine it with storm water. New tunnels to prevent the overflow are supposed to be in service by 2022. But the Anacostia used to be an industrial river, and toxic waste from that era lingers. Near AWS’s floating office is the site of a former coal-gasification plant that is being cleaned up. The land is slated to become a park, but Foster anticipates more commercial development along this section of river bank — and sees advantages to it. “I need the redevelopment in this watershed to fund the critical infrastructure that wasn’t constructed in the first place,” he said. “The Wharf is a great example. They’re building a giant cistern to capture the storm water that they’ll use for on-site power generation. They’ve got green roofs built in. They just recognize that this is the new normal.” In addition to private developers and the D.C. government, AWS has to coordinate with Maryland, which contains 80 percent of the river’s watershed, and the federal government, which owns about 10 percent of it. “All those folks, they all have their own piece and their own role,” Foster said. “We’re trying to choreograph this, and help facilitate it, but also hold people accountable.” For all Foster’s optimism, he conceded that reclaiming the watershed will involve struggle. “The Anacostia’s always going to be an urban river,” he said. “So it’s going to be like urban combat. We have to go block by block and take it and hold it.” Jenkins is a freelance writer.

D.C. debates best path to cleaner waterways

For environmental activists who fight to clean the District’s dirty waterways, there was no sweeter victory than the one they witnessed in 2004. That year, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority was forced to settle a federal lawsuit that claimed it failed for decades to stop its Civil War-vintage sewers from spewing pollution. D.C. Water agreed to build three huge tunnels within 20 years to stop pipes from overflowing during hard rains, sending billions of gallons of storm water mixed with raw sewage into Rock Creek and the Potomac and Anacostia rivers every year. “Maybe . . . before I pass away, I can see children swimming in there,” Robert Boone, the former president of the Anacostia Watershed Society, said shortly after the settlement was reached. But now, the three-tunnel solution is in doubt, and activists, engineers and bureaucrats are arguing once again about the best path to cleaner waters. Although digging is underway for the first tunnel, D.C. Water wants to put the other two on hold and instead see whether rain gardens, retention ponds and grass rooftops can soak up as much storm-water runoff as the pipes can store. D.C. Water has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for permission to build an experimental “green infrastructure” project and run tests for at least eight years. The green project would be built where the second and third tunnels were slated to run, along Rock Creek Parkway near the Kennedy Center to protect the Potomac River and in Upper Northwest neighborhoods to protect Rock Creek. A 13-mile tunnel under the Anacostia River and deep into the Northeast near a Home Depot off Rhode Island Avenue, currently under construction, would continue as planned. The EPA is considering D.C. Water’s proposed “partnership agreement,” and a decision on whether to move forward with public hearings on the changes is expected soon. Among local environmental activist groups, a verdict on the request is already clear: Don’t do it. Some are enraged; others have expressed dismay about the proposal. “We’re well down the road to the tunnel solution, and I’m a little ambivalent about changing course midstream,” said Brent Bolin, a spokesman for the Anacostia Watershed Society. Opponents say that if the green pilot project wins approval, billions of gallons of sewage would pour into the Potomac and Rock Creek for eight years while D.C. Water conducts its tests. The proposed agreement played a major role in the recent firing of the head of the D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE), Christophe Tulou. He said he believed the green infrastructure project had no hope of performing as well as the utility claimed, and he allowed experts in his department to say as much in comments on the project submitted to the EPA. In a recent interview at his home, Tulou, now unemployed, said his department “had no beef about green infrastructure. But there are still issues one has to resolve . . . how effective is green infrastructure in mitigating storm-water runoff. We don’t know exactly.” But others who support Tulou were more harsh in their criticism, saying green infrastructure is a stall tactic, an attempt to delay a portion of the $2.6 billion cost of the Clean Rivers tunnel project. “From our perspective, this proposal is purely about delays . . . that is the purpose behind it,” said Jennifer C. Chavez, a staff attorney for Earthjustice, a nonprofit legal organization that represented several groups in a lawsuit against the utility in 2000. D.C. Water’s general manager, George Hawkins, has said the “green” project is superior to the “gray” pipes because it would cool and beautify the city if tests are successful and the program is allowed to expand. Hawkins convinced Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) of the project’s worthiness early last year. Gray sent two letters of support to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in March and July, without consulting experts in his office for their opinions on whether it would work. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) initially favored green infrastructure, but not at the expense of the two tunnels in the original agreement. When Mendelson learned that D.C. Water and city officials were negotiating a partnership agreement, he also wrote a letter to the EPA administrator, withdrawing his support for the green project. Green infrastructure should be included with all three tunnels or be left out altogether, Mendelson wrote. To clean the water, the District needs what D.C. water originally agreed in court to build, not a hybrid of a tunnel for the Anacostia watershed and something else for Rock Creek and the Potomac. According to Tulou, Shawn Garvin of the EPA asked his department to submit comments on D.C. Water’s proposal. Within days, DDOE submitted comments that said the “green infrastructure” project was vague, lacking information on how the tests would be conducted, who would pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the gardens and a detailed estimate of how much pollution would pour into the rivers and creeks during testing. Gray felt that his support for the project was being upstaged. On the last day of August, Tulou was terminated by City Administrator Allen Lew, who sits on D.C. Water’s board of directors. Lew said DDOE’s criticism represented a “breach of protocol.” Gray replaced Tulou with Keith A. Anderson, who oversaw sustainable energy and affordable energy plans at DDOE. An official in Gray’s administration, who spoke anonymously because firings are a personnel matter, said Tulou’s problems went beyond his department’s criticism of D.C. Water. The official said he was often unaware of what his staff was doing, and that he was too by the book to understand an experimental project like green infrastructure. That characterization surprised one of Tulou’s former supervisors, Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), who appointed him as secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control when he was governor of Delaware. “I loved Christophe and did so for 10 years,” said Carper, who served from 1993 until 2001. Carper credited Tulou with successfully drafting rules for development in a sensitive coastal area. “He was great at it,” Carper said. “He’s very good at collaborating. His skill at getting us to yes on a complex issue . . . is viewed by me as important.” Tulou’s dismissal stung environmental activists, who now question Gray’s commitment to the environment, particularly in light of recent actions and statements by Lew. After Tulou’s firing, Lew met with his former staff and warned them against making comments to EPA before getting clearance. His talk had a chilling effect, particularly after a report in the Washington Business Journal suggesting that some of its environmental protections overstepped its role. “I do think it would be fair to say the city administrator is taking a look at the agency to ensure that it’s working the way it’s supposed to . . . that it’s carrying out its regulatory responsibility but . . . not overstepping its role as regulator and moving into the role of advocate,” Tony Robinson, Lew’s spokesman, was quoted as saying. As far as some environmentalists are concerned, Lew’s talk at DDOE and Robinson’s statement reveal a lack of understanding of the department’s role. “DDOE is the environmental conscience of the District,” said Chavez of Earthjustice. D.C. Water and commercial developers often have much higher priorities than protecting fresh waters. “That’s why it’s important for DDOE to be there to weigh in on environmental standards, and we haven’t seen that,” Chavez said.

Why Donald Trump’s view on trees is wrong

While Donald Trump’s declamations on immigration have caused national outrage, his recent remarks at Loudoun County’s Trump National Golf Club reveal a sub- par environmental strategy. In an effort to create a world-class country club, the presidential hopeful ordered his “artists with bulldozers” to cut down more than 460 trees along the shores of the Potomac. He didn’t buy the property, said Trump, to have a “little glimpse” of the river. Trump’s “unobstructed views” come at a high cost, and this time, local residents will pay the price. The protective trees and shrubs that line our local river and streams form an unparalleled natural filtration system. In addition to stabilizing the shoreline with its deep root systems, the green filter strip running along the Potomac substantially reduces topsoil erosion and helps to prevent chemical pollution and farm run-off from flowing into the river below. The willful destruction of more than a mile and a half of mature trees will worsen water quality for thousands of outdoor enthusiasts who fish, paddle, run and bike along the Potomac. More significantly, however, these actions will have a negative effect on the nearly 5 million people — more than 85 percent of area residents — whose drinking water comes from the Potomac. It might be too late to save Trump’s trees, but a combination of environmentally sound and business-smart strategies can help ensure that this clear-cutting debacle doesn’t happen again. National and local policymakers, business leaders and environmental organizations can continue to work together to expand innovative green development practices. In recent years, traditional battles between “tree- hugging” environmentalists and ruthless developers have given way to collaborative efforts such as green landscaping, low-impact design and river- friendly growth that improve environmental and economic outcomes. Still in the planning stages, the 11th Street Bridge will create a green civic space that will also help drive economic development along the Anacostia River. On the K Street corridor, new buildings such as Arent Fox’s office showcase building practices designed to capture polluted run-off. Regional elected officials and agency leaders must step up efforts to strengthen local codes and ordinances to preserve trees and limit the volume of polluted run-off in our drinking water source. Additional funding is needed to retrofit city and residential streets to capture contaminated rainwater before it flows into our neighborhood streams. Support of such measures is environmentally friendly and smart politics. In a recent Frederick County poll conducted by the Potomac Conservancy, nearly 8 in 10 voters supported restoring recently repealed regulations that protected local waterways from irresponsible construction and development. In 2013, the Montgomery County Council voted to restrict the unnecessary removal of trees in residential building projects. Similar protections exist in Arlington  and Alexandria. Great leadership requires wise decision-making. Trump missed out on an opportunity to build a world-class golf course, protect the environment and be a good neighbor and responsible member of our community. He could have worked collaboratively with local environmental organizations and community leaders to protect some of the existing forest, strategically plant new sycamores and other erosion-resistant trees and create a golf course that would have won design awards for its innovative landscaping. He could have modeled the welcome and growing trend in this area of property owners, developers and business leaders who adopt smart planning solutions that embrace economic growth and protect our natural resources. But he didn’t. And for millions of local residents, that might be the clearest, most memorable view of all. **Read more about this issue:** Robert E. Hunter: D.C.’s trees are in the fight of their lives James R. Phippard: A hatchet job on my trees John R. Powers: G.W. Parkway’s trees are in need of rescue Robert Willey: Saving trees on the Chesapeake’s shores

Cruising the revitalized Anacostia River

John Reiss reversed the engines of the big pontoon boat and backed away from Bladensburg Waterfront Park on a recent lazy Sunday afternoon, ready to sail down the Anacostia River with about 20 passengers. The high tide and cool breeze offered a postcard-perfect opportunity for people to get acquainted with a river that, for the past 25 years, has been one of the area’s most endangered resources because of decades of neglect and pollution. But now, the brown waters of the Anacostia conceal the mud bars, and birds are flying and diving into the river to catch fish. In the years to come, people will be able to ride a bike along the banks of the river from College Park to Southwest Washington. “Twenty-five years ago . . . cars and refrigerators were in the river,” said Lee Cain, director of recreation for the Anacostia Watershed Society. “Now we are focused on things like plastic bags, Styrofoam and bottles, and even a lot of that is out of the river because of the bag fee and pending legislation.” Cain also said that, because of efforts to clean up the river, “there is 50 percent less cancer in the fish than . . . 10 years ago, and we are on track to have 85 percent of the sewage out of the river.” Reiss, 75, a retired carwash operator, said he enjoys taking people on boat tours. “I just want people to get whatever it is that they enjoy,” he said. “It is something entirely different than what they do in everyday life.” Reiss is one of several captains who drive boats up and down the Anacostia six days a week for free tours. The watercraft are operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. “This is a dream job,” said John Milligan, a Hyattsville resident and boat captain. “It is like working at the beach for me. I worked for the D.C. courts for 32 years. I would have done this for free.” Another captain, Richard Brown, is well versed on the history along the banks of the Anacostia, including the Battle of Bladensburg during the War of 1812 and the spot where Maryland pioneer Stephen Decatur died in a duel. Part of Brown’s mission is to clear up misinformation. He said the Peace Cross, a 40-foot memorial at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, was erected in honor of those who died in World War I, not the War of 1812. In addition to increased river activities, the Anacostia Water Trail is under construction. The bike trail will connect College Park in Maryland to Nationals Park in the District. Cain said the trail will allow more people to enjoy the river. “When people can get out and they can see the beauty of the Anacostia River, everybody becomes invested in it,” he said. For Susan Punnett, a resident of Capitol Hill, the Anacostia River is special. “It is D.C.’s river,” she said. “The Potomac is the national river, but the Anacostia is our river, and it is beautiful.”

D.C. news in brief

The District government recently launched the Web site Grade.DC.Gov to collect and analyze customer feedback for D.C. agencies. The site allows residents to provide comments and opinions via text message, social media and the site’s Web portal. Five agencies are participating in the pilot program: Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Transportation, Motor Vehicles, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works. The information will help grade agencies on performance, identify service issues and provide guidance on allocating resources. On July 11, the first data will be released in the form of grades. For information, go to www.grade.dc.gov. The District and Maryland recently received a $10 million U.S. Department of Transportation stimulus grant to construct a missing link in the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. The grant will fund the four-mile Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Trail segment between Benning Road in the District and Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Bladensburg. The design should be done by the end of the summer, and construction is scheduled to begin by the end of the year. Construction will involve building raised pathways, multi-use paths and five bridges. The work is to be completed by 2014. The planned 20-mile Anacostia Riverwalk Trail will connect 16 neighborhoods along the Anacostia River, as well as the Southwest Waterfront, Nationals Park, the Navy Yard, RFK Stadium and the National Arboretum. More than 12 miles of the trail have been completed. For information, go to www.anacostiawaterfront.org/anacostiariverwalk. For updates or to comment, e-mail ddot.awi@dc.gov or call 202-741-8528. The D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development will hold two public hearings, at 6:30 p.m. July 2 and July 9, in the Second Floor Community Room of the Reeves Building, 2000 14th St. NW, regarding a $447,499 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for emergency shelter and homeless services. The hearing will discuss how to allocate the funds. The grant document can be viewed at www.dhcd.dc.gov. To register for testimony, e-mail dhcd.events@dc.gov or call 202-442-7251. Whitman-Walker Health and Trans Legal Advocates of Washington are offering transgender residents free legal clinics that include counseling on name changes and changes to driver’s licenses, passports, birth certificates and other identity documents. The clinics will be held at 6:30 p.m. July 11 and Sept. 12 at Whitman-Walker Health, 1701 14th St. NW. Clients will be served on a walk-in basis. For information, call 202-939-7627 or e-mail lbrubaker@whitman-walker.org. District residents who are concerned about lead and other impurities in their tap water can bring samples to the Water Resources Management Laboratory at the University of the District of Columbia, Van Ness and Connecticut Ave. NW, for testing. The lab opened in May. For information, call 202-274-5273 or e-mail tdeksissa@udc.edu. — Compiled by Terence McArdle

A century of buried toxins in the Anacostia are coming to the surface

The column of dirt, 15 feet of gloppy mud extracted from beneath the murky Anacostia River, has a story to tell. It speaks of the changing composition of the river’s sediment over the past century — sometimes sand, sometimes silt, sometimes gravel, sometimes clay. It offers up a candy wrapper, a piece of a bottle, even a golf ball that went astray in the 1950s and has stayed at the river’s bottom until now. When the color of the mud changes from milk-chocolate brown to petroleum black, the dirt is proclaiming loud and clear the pollution of yesteryear. By laying bare these stories of the watery past, pulled from the depths, the District’s environmental department hopes to write a cleaner tale in the mud of the future. These pillars, more than 130 total, are being extracted from the Anacostia in the first stage of an ambitious and expensive project to map toxins in that dirt and remedy the pollution. The D.C. Council committed last year to completing a plan by June 2018 for cleaning up the river and then to carrying out that plan. Lawmakers and activists talk about the day, after the cleanup is done in a decade or more, that children will be able to learn to swim in the Anacostia’s waters and residents will be able to feast on fish they catch themselves. Reaching that idyllic vision of clean water starts with a prolonged investigation into just how dirty the water is now. Tommy Wells, director of the District Department of the Environment, went on a boat to look at progress of that investigation earlier this month. A 16-member crew from Tetra Tech, a firm contracted by the District, plans by the end of May to finish collecting dozens of samples from the water, fish and riverbed. Watching the technicians dip a set of steel jaws into the murky water, Wells said, “It’s like that arcade game.” He asked what polluted this particular part of the river and was told that the Navy used to manufacture ships nearby. “So Poplar Point, even though it looks pretty green and lush, it’s a pretty nasty place?” he asked. He joked about learning firsthand how badly the Anacostia needs cleaning. “I’m not proud of this, but I flipped my sailboat over by the airport. So I’ve been in this water.” But he won’t commit to seeing that cleanup happen soon. In fact, he said, he isn’t sure the Department of the Environment will meet the June 2018 deadline that the D.C. Council set when he was a member. “Until I know more about the whole process of doing this right now, I’m not going to commit to that date,” he said. “I think it’s very possible to meet the council deadline. . . . I’m not able to certify yet that we will make that date. But we will get there.” When the boats are finished scooping up water and sediment samples, Tetra Tech will complete a report on which spots are polluted by what. At that point, the Department of the Environment will come up with a plan for fixing the pollution, most likely by dredging or putting a cap over the worst spots, according to river cleanup experts. And then, according to federal law, whichever parties have been found to be responsible for the pollution will be required to help pay to clean it up. Those parties might include any of the entities that have operated along the Anacostia for generations: companies such as CSX, the utilities Pepco and Washington Gas, and federal agencies such as the Army at Fort McNair and the Navy at the Navy Yard. In similar circumstances in other cities, divvying up the enormous amount — project manager Dev Murali of the Department of the Environment said it could approach $1 billion in the Anacostia River case — has led straight to a courtroom. Wells said he wants to avoid a court fight in the District, although environmental activists say that is unlikely. “The different parties that will be responsible, I really want them to be on board. I don’t want to have to decide this in a courtroom,” Wells said. “I really don’t want to see [a scientific report] that’s easily challengeable. We really need to back this up by rock-solid science.” What the science looks like, this month, is an iPad on a noisy boat on the Anacostia, telling Tetra Tech contractors where they should hang the vibrating machine over the water and drill through an opening in the bottom of the boat to press a stainless steel core into the earth. It’s a base along the water where those cores, four inches in diameter and filled with sediment, are hoisted onto land and then cooled in a free-standing, walk-in refrigerator that keeps volatile compounds in the dirt from escaping. It’s a tent where the plastic sleeve inside one of those metal cores is slid out and then sliced open with a drill. It’s two scientists quickly sniffing that dirt, some of it exposed to the air at that moment for the first time in a century, with both an electronic nose and their own noses, for the scent of petroleum components. “Often the first indication of whether you have a clean core or a dirty core, if I can use two categories like that, is when you crack it open — the smell,” said Brad Schrotenboer, a technician for Tetra Tech. He moved methodically down the core, from the most recent sediment at the top toward the older stuff at the bottom. Inch by inch, he peered at the dirt to check its consistency and color, rubbed it between his fingers, and picked up chunks to hold to his nose. With each break in the core’s composition, Schrotenboer and colleague Ryan Murley filled jars with the mud, to be sent to a lab in Pittsburgh that will analyze them. Those samples will be tested for all of the suspected pollutants of the past: mercury, cyanide, carcinogenic PCBs and about a half dozen others. “Every core tells a story,” Schrotenboer said. “It’s a real look back into the past,” Murley added. And if their work leads to a swimmable, fishable Anacostia, then that long-buried core is also a look into the future.

D.C. news in brief

The University of the District of Columbia recently broke ground on a $40 million student center at its Van Ness campus. The center, funded from a 2009 D.C. Council appropriation of $35 million and $5 million from student fees, will include entertainment venues, food and banking services and study and meeting halls. It will be constructed to the platinum LEED green building standard. The design is by Marshall/Moya Architects and Cannon Designs. Parkinson/Forrester will supervise construction, with a projected spring 2013 completion. For information, go to www.udc.edu. The District Department of the Environment recently installed two new Bandalong Litter Traps in the Anacostia River tributaries at Marvin Gaye Park, 61st Street and Banks Place NE. Bandalongs use natural water currents to trap trash and debris and keep it from reaching the river’s mainstream. The devices are considered safe for fish, waterfowl and other aquatic wildlife. The traps were installed at Watts Branch near the District-Prince George’s County line and an outfall near the James Creek Marina in Southwest. An earlier 2009 installation at the mouth of Watts Branch has since collected more than six tons of trash and debris. Funds from the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund, the 5-cent bag tax, were used to pay for the installations. For information, go to ddoe.dc.gov. The nonprofit D.C. Electrical Association is offering free, small electrical work for churches, senior citizens homes and children’s recreation centers in all wards this month. The work is in honor of Black History Month. In previous years, the journeymen electricians have done volunteer electrical work for the Covenant House, So Others Might Eat and Catholic Charities. Possible jobs include replacing smoke detectors, exit signs, light fixtures, wall receptacles, switches, ceiling fans and fluorescent light tubes. All work will be performed by union-trained electricians, along with supervised apprentices. For information, call 202-534-6905. The D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development is having a seminar on rent control rules at 10 a.m. Feb. 21 at its office, 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, first-floor conference room. The session will cover the registration process and rent adjustment procedures for tenants, landlords and real estate agents. To register, call 202-442-7251 or e-mail dhcd.events@dc.gov by Feb. 20. The sixth annual Blacks in Wax, presented by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, will feature portrayals of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Eartha Kitt by D.C. school students, ages 7 to 17. Students research the people they will represent and will speak about their subject’s life and achievements. The free performances will be from 1 to 3 p.m. and for the general public from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 24 for school groups and seniors at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, 701 Mississippi Ave. SE. Students will also perform from 5 to 7 p.m. March 3 at the Kennedy Center. For information, call 202-645-6242 or 202-678-7530. ** — Compiled by Terence McArdle  **

Harbor posts failing grades in water quality report card again

The Inner Harbor and tidal Patapsco River posted failing grades in a water quality report card for a third consecutive year in 2015, casting doubt on a goal to make the waterways safe for swimming and fishing by the end of the decade. “The harbor is alive, but it is not doing well,” said Adam Lindquist, manager of the Healthy Harbor Initiative for the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, which publishes the report card. “Any reasonable person would have questions about whether or not we’re going to be able to swim in the Baltimore harbor in 2020.” The primary concerns continue to be fecal bacteria from the city’s aged and leaking sewage system and pollutants that flow into the harbor when it rains. There were signs of slight improvement in some pollutants but not enough to change grades for the harbor and Jones Falls from an F. City leaders and business and environmental groups in 2010 set a goal of having a “swimmable, fishable harbor” within a decade. Now, more than halfway to 2020, with so much work left to be done to keep sewage and contaminated stormwater out of the harbor, the say the goal may be out of reach. “Obviously it’s not terribly surprising, but it certainly is disappointing,” said Terry Cummings, director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Baltimore Initiative. Still, environmentalists maintained optimism. For the first time since the report card initiative launched in 2013, one waterway did not receive a failing grade: The Gwynns Falls received a D. Measures of dissolved oxygen in the harbor also improved, contributing to a decrease in the large fish kills that occur when algae blooms die and create dead zones devoid of oxygen. Despite the pollution, Lindquist said, the harbor is teeming with life — National Aquarium volunteers counted 130 species of fish, crustaceans, birds and insects — and with activity, including fly-fishing in the Jones Falls and kayaking and paddle boarding in the harbor. “There’s a lot going on that people aren’t necessarily aware of,” he said. Throughout the year, volunteers gathered 569 water samples from 49 sites across the Jones and Gwynns falls, the middle and northwest branches of the Patapsco River and its main stem leading out to the Chesapeake Bay. Officials said the data provides a detailed picture of the health of the harbor watershed, but it’s not enough to reach any conclusions regarding whether conditions are improving. “A D range is still not acceptable,” said David Flores, the Baltimore harbor waterkeeper whose organization, Blue Water Baltimore, gathers the data each year. “It’s not where we need to be or want to be in terms of water quality.” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) has expressed support for the 2020 goal. A spokesman for the mayor did not respond to a request for comment. When the Waterfront Partnership unveiled its “healthy harbor” plan in 2011, officials called for policies including a statewide plastic bag fee and bottle deposit system, the creation of special water funds using money from penalties and fines, and the development of a municipal utility that could collect fees for stormwater management. “We believe we can do it, and for the first time think it’s practicable,” Michael Hankin, president of the partnership and chief executive of Fells Point investment firm Brown Advisory, told the Baltimore Sun at the time. But five years later, efforts to ban plastic bags at the state level have failed repeatedly. The city approved a controversial 5-cent bottle tax in 2012. Lawmakers in Baltimore County have voted to phase out the state-mandated stormwater runoff fees for property owners that opponents call the “rain tax.” In last year’s report card, the harbor advocates emphasized the importance of a nearly $500 million project to improve the flow of sewage into the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in any effort to clean up the harbor. The project would install hydraulics to eliminate a 10-mile backup of sewage caused by a misaligned 12-foot main. It is scheduled to be completed by 2020. Lindquist said addressing the problem is a priority. “Not only does it contribute to massive sewer overflows of millions and millions of gallons into the Jones Falls, but also to sewage backups in peoples’ homes,” he said. Advocates aren’t giving up on the 2020 goal. “We’re hopeful we can address these issues in time to make the 2020 deadline,” said Cummings, of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “It’s approaching quite rapidly, and work isn’t being done quite as quickly as we would like.” **— Baltimore Sun**

In Fairfax, volunteers fight a flood of trash in Little Hunting Creek

Every spring, Ed Raduazo and Robert O’Hanlon venture out to Little Hunting Creek in the Mount Vernon area for a ritual both find distasteful: picking up heaps of decaying trash. “These things are heavy even when they’re empty,” Raduazo, 72, complained Friday, pushing a mud-filled metal shopping cart up the creek bed. The men were removing big objects from the creek’s polluted water in advance of a broader annual cleanup effort planned Saturday that will feature scores of volunteer crews working up and down the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and their tributaries. Many volunteers say the effort feels futile. Every year, they clean up. Every year, the mountains of trash quickly reappear. “It’s insane,” said Betsy Martin, a member of the Friends of Little Hunting Creek group, which has been working to clean the site for 11 years. “It takes the burden off the people who litter and puts it on those who don’t litter, who are out there picking up after the ones who did.” Frustration over dumping throughout the Potomac watershed has led to some important legislative changes in recent years, environmental groups say. Most notably, 5 cent fees on plastic shopping bags in the District and Montgomery County have helped reduce the number of bags floating in the water or draped on trees, said Alena Rosen, spokeswoman for the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which has sponsored the Potomac cleanup for the past 26 years. In Northern Virginia, however, the fight for a bag tax has been unsuccessful, largely because of opposition in Richmond, where state lawmakers would have to approve such a program. The General Assembly also has been unreceptive to legislation requiring deposits on plastic bottles — a mechanism that environmental groups say could cut down on the hundreds of empty plastic bottles found every year along creeks and rivers. Proposals for a bottle deposit have been aggressively fought by the state’s beverage industry trade group. “It’s a dinosaur,” said Charles Duvall, a lobbyist with the Virginia Beverage Association. “People have found that it creates more headaches than solutions.” Instead, retailers in Virginia contribute to a state litter control and recycling fund, which is then parceled out to municipalities to spend on anti-litter programs. Out of the nearly $1.9 million collected last year, Fairfax County received the largest portion — about $128,000, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality. Jennifer Cole, who heads a nonprofit organization called the Clean Fairfax Council, said the funds administered by her group are used for educational campaigns and community cleanups throughout Fairfax, including its watersheds. But, she added, the money goes quickly. “Gloves and garbage bags really don’t seem expensive, but they really are when you buy them at bulk level,” Cole said. That leaves the majority of litter removal to volunteers, with some help from local officials. Del. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) has organized the cleanup of a stretch of Little Hunting Creek in his district for the past three years, while trying without success to make it possible for local governments to hold retailers more accountable for litter. Nearly 170 shopping carts have been pulled from the creek’s polluted waters in those three years, he said, many of them from the big box stores that have recently opened along nearby Route 1. “People who don’t have cars can’t drive up and down to the shopping center, so they walk to the store and push their stuff home,” said Surovell, speculating on the origins of the problem. “Then they leave the carts in the storm ditch, and a storm will wash the cart down into the creek.” On Friday, Raduazo and O’Hanlon sweated and groaned as they worked to clear away three shopping carts, a mattress and a car tire that had formed a dam in the creek. The job required a chain hoist, and good cheer between two friends. “This one’s from Wally World,” said O’Hanlon, pulling on a Wal-Mart shopping cart that apparently was made before that company installed antitheft wheel locks on its carts last year. Further upstream was a mosaic of human consumption — water and beer bottles, organic juice cartons, fast-food containers, children’s toys, bags clinging to rocks and even a pair of pants hanging from a tree branch. The men speculated that most of the debris had washed in from a concrete storm basin behind a nearby shopping center, although there were also signs of homeless camps and people who had gone to the creek to party. During an earlier visit to the creek, Raduazo lamented over having to clear so much trash from the area where his two daughters had played as children. The area also had once reminded him of the creek where he had played as a boy in Maryland. “You look at this and say: Would you let your kids go in this stream?” he said, over the sound of babbling water and the crunch of his boots on plastic water bottles.

Closing Buzzard Point Marina offers an opportunity

The National Park Service announced last week that it plans to close the Buzzard Point Marina on the Anacostia River [“Buzzard Point Marina in SW set to close,” Metro, Sept. 4]. Those who have docked their boats at the marina’s slips are understandably dismayed. The article reported that the National Park Service said it would “study other recreational opportunities on the Anacostia River.” I am cautiously optimistic that this is true, and that because of it, the closing of the marina ultimately might turn out to be a good thing. The sad truth is that the Buzzard Point Marina is a casualty of shrinking budgets. Fortunately, there is strong demand coming from the community for a new vision for the Anacostia waterfront and broad support for improving access. Having spent 20 years working near the Anacostia, I know there’s a need for kayaking, sailing and other recreation on the river. The loss of the Buzzard Point Marina could allow the National Park Service to expand water-based recreation upstream as part of the Anacostia Park experience — in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8. Anacostia and Kenilworth parks are not well programmed. Such a pledge could also spur action to address the environmental problems preventing residents from swimming, fishing, boating and playing in their own public back yard. With Buzzard Point Marina closing in December, we who are committed to the Anacostia waterfront must redouble our efforts to create new ways for the community to engage with the river and complete the important environmental work that remains. ****Doug Siglin** , Washington** The writer is executive director of the Anacostia Waterfront Trust.

The District shouldn’t give away public land

Regarding the April 3 Capital Business article “D.C. mayor seeks more control of parkland, RFK”: There’s a better proposal for D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). How about investing in the National Park Service? The public lands that contain RFK Stadium along the Anacostia River, as well as facilities within East Potomac Park and Rock Creek Park, are owned by all Americans, who deserve to have a say in their future. Unfortunately, National Capital Parks-East, the Park Service unit that maintains many of these lands, as well as sites such as Anacostia Park and Frederick Douglass’s home, is one of the most under-resourced parts of the woefully underfunded agency. The National Park Service’s vision for the Anacostia and Potomac rivers includes improved parks with more places to play, fish and recreate. Giving away public lands for Ms. Bowser’s vision of more luxury condos, elite Trump-style golf resorts and a colossal NFL stadium would only further gentrify historic Anacostia and add pollution threats to our rivers. To rebuild the District’s infrastructure, we should oppose the proposed $1.5 billion in cuts to the department that maintains these lands. Instead of giving control to private developers, the District should advocate for successful new public-private partnerships, such as the 11th Street Bridge Park and the revitalization of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. By working together, the city and the Park Service could better incorporate local voices, respect the city’s culture and heritage, and keep public lands in public hands. ****Edward Stierli** , West Springfield**

The whole region wins when we improve the Chesapeake Bay

_Daniel Sze, a member of the Falls Church City Council, is the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee chairman._ When you think of the Chesapeake Bay, maybe you imagine a weekend away sailing or fishing, exploring lighthouses or enjoying crabs or rockfish. Investments in the health of the bay watershed ensure that these things can be enjoyed by all. But you don’t have to cross the Bay Bridge to see these investments at work. Consider our own local gems, the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. These rivers and area streams are also being cleaned up thanks to bay restoration efforts, making metropolitan Washington a better place to live, work and play. Aquatic vegetation and native species such as the American shad are rebounding. Bald eagles are again nesting along our rivers. Harmful algal blooms aren’t threatening the Potomac, the primary source of drinking water for millions in this region. Residents, employers and tourists are drawn to our waterways, as is evident by the redevelopment of the District’s Southwest Waterfront, the boom at National Harbor in Prince George’s County and the restoration of the Four Mile Run area in Alexandria and Arlington. These accomplishments have been decades in the making. Last year, the bay received a better grade on its annual report card than it had in more than 15 years, but there is much work to be done. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is vast, so progress has been possible only because of federal, state and local partnerships. Improvements are largely thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay restoration program, with the support of 20 other federal programs, six states and the District, 1,800 localities, 27 academic institutions and 60 organizations. The bay is only as healthy as the waterways that flow into it, so restoration work also includes investments by local governments, water utilities, companies and residents. Wastewater treatment plants, including Alexandria Renew Enterprises, have been upgraded and are pioneering methods of energy recovery, wastewater byproduct recycling and innovative financing. DC Water uses “green” century bonds to help finance its Clean Rivers Project, including building enormous tunnels that capture stormwater and wastewater for treatment. Local governments are also exploring innovative ways to reduce stormwater runoff via permeable pavement and retention gardens, among other actions. In my own city of Falls Church, two streams, Pearson and Coe branches, were restored from a channeled or piped creek to a more natural habitat. These projects improve water quality, and we all enjoy these stream valley parks that have been brought back to life. Green infrastructure jobs are being created, too. These investments are paying off, but we’re at a crucial stage. Local governments and water utilities will continue to do their part, but as a key player in this region, the federal government must also do its part. If federal funding for the bay is reduced or eliminated, we will lose the primary glue holding the many partners together, and our waters will get worse. Federal involvement ensures that all partners will be at the table for future planning. Everyone wins when we work together for clean water. **Read more about this issue:** J. Charles Fox and Jeff Corbin: The leaders we elect will seal the Chesapeake Bay’s fate Hedrick Belin and Ed Merrifield: Recipe for a healthy Potomac The Post’s View: Mr. Pruitt’s tepid commitment to clean up the Chesapeake Bay Chip Bowling: Farmers can help clean up the Chesapeake The Post’s View: The Trump administration’s attack on the Chesapeake Bay

A little farther in Bernie Fowler’s shoes

For 25 years, former state senator Bernie Fowler has led groups of people into the Patuxent River in his determined effort to raise awareness about the declining quality of its water. On June 10, dozens of Southern Maryland residents spent an afternoon at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the annual Patuxent River Wade-In. The Patuxent River is a tributary that runs into the Chesapeake Bay and separates Calvert from Charles and St. Mary’s counties. Fowler uses his personal tracking mechanism, the Bernie Fowler Sneaker Index, where he walks into the river until he can no longer see his shoes, to measure the clarity of the water. With predictions of the measurement being about the same as last year’s 31.25 inches, Fowler was able to wade out 35 inches into the Patuxent before losing sight of his white sneakers. “It really is not very scientific, but it’s a way of focusing, getting people engaged, connecting them to the river and knowing that there’s something bad happening out there,” Fowler said. The river looks beautiful on the surface, he said, “but it’s what’s down below the surface that you can’t see that’s causing the problem.” Fowler attributed the slight increase in the measurement to the water temperature, which he said was as warm as it was last year. Since Fowler began wading into the river, its water quality has constantly declined. This year, the Patuxent River was given a grade of F for its bay health index and was deemed to have very poor ecosystem health by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network Web site. “We deserve better than that,” Fowler said of the F rating. “The Patuxent River deserves better than that.” Although the river’s water quality is poor, “that does not in any way give us an excuse to quit trying” to improve it, Fowler said. The improvements might not be realized within the next 10 years, he said, but people need to continue to be relentless with their support. Southern Maryland commissioners, district representatives and various environmental agencies were among those in attendance last week. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) said the annual wade-in is important because even though there are efforts being made to clean up the river, the quality of the water continues to decline, and more needs to be done to help. Last year, the temperature of the Chesapeake Bay rose 2½ degrees, which affects its water quality, he said. “We have to take greater actions and we have to take it more quickly so that for the grandkids, it’s not all gone,” O’Malley said. “The reason we wade in . . . [is] not only to measure the depth and the clarity of these waters, but to find a greater depth and a greater clarity to the precious consensus necessary for us to be able to restore the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.” O’Malley presented Fowler with a proclamation declaring June 10 as Bernie Fowler Wade-In Day in Maryland. O’Malley said Fowler is “one of the most decent Americans any of us have ever” met and has spread the love and respect he has for the river as a source of power for cleaning up and restoring the health of the water. Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-St. Mary’s) of Great Mills said hat about $7 million is in the budget to set up new oyster sanctuaries and tributaries on the Eastern Shore, which will go a long way toward Maryland’s oyster restoration. Recently, Poplar Island has been restored through a partnership between federal and state governments. Such partnerships are crucial to improving the Patuxent River, Dyson said. “We can all come together and we can make this thing work,” Dyson said. “Bernie, you gave us the inspiration. I’m still inspired.” U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said when O’Malley became governor, he and Fowler met with him and talked about “how we ought to do God’s work with God’s resources given to us with God’s expectation that we would keep that resource” for future generations to enjoy. Hoyer presented Fowler with an American flag, which he said flew over the U.S. Capitol, in honor of “25 years of keeping the faith.” Hoyer said when Fowler first walked into the river, he went out about 5½ feet and could still see his shoes. “America has been both great and successful because of people like Bernie Fowler,” Hoyer said. “America appreciates what [Fowler] has done for its country and for its land and for its waters.”

Former D.C. employee says he was wrongly fired by Mayor Gray

The D.C. government’s former environmental director said he was wrongly fired by Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) for voicing concern over an effort to delay a multibillion tunnel project designed to stop massive amounts of wastewater from washing into the city’s polluted rivers and creeks. In a federal whistleblower complaint filed at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration last week, Christophe Tulou said his firing in August was in retaliation for expressing concern to the Environmental Protection Agency about a proposal to delay a portion of the tunnel for eight years while the city used an experimental “green” project to soak up storm water. He told the EPA there was reason to doubt the experiment, which the mayor supports, would work as well as the pipes called for in the original plan. Tulou, who led the D.C. Department on the Environment (DDOE), said he and his staff were worried that if the experiment failed, the city would fall short of its obligation to clean Rock Creek and the Potomac and Anacostia rivers as required by a 2005 consent decree under the Clean Water Act. The giant tunnel project is part of a wider multibillion effort to comply with the decree. The waters are so polluted from sewer overflows and dirty rain runoff that swimming is forbidden and eating fish is discouraged. The green project would be a substitute for a planned portion of pipe near Georgetown to protect the Potomac River and Rock Creek in upper Northwest. A 13-mile portion of pipe slated to run under the Anacostia River into Northeast Washington would not be affected. “It was clear to me what we were doing was representing the public interest,” Tulou said in an interview Wednesday. In early August, City Administrator Allen Lew called Tulou into a meeting with his chief of staff and fired him for what the city later described as a “breach of protocol.” Tulou is seeking reinstatement to his job, repayment of loss wages, the expunging of negative information in his personnel file and court costs. His whistleblower complaint was first reported in the Washington Times. The complaint alleges that the mayor’s office used Tulou’s firing as a demonstration of the consequences of “going outside the chain of command” to offer criticism to the EPA. On Sept. 6, Lew called DDOE staffers into a meeting, the complaint said, allegedly quoting the accounts of people who attended. “If the mayor has already issued something and you want to make some . . . corrections, you communicate that internally to us. “[You] work for D.C. government, not interest groups — realize which side of the bread is buttered,” Lew was quoted as saying. Local environmental interest groups support the Clean Rivers initiative to plug 53 sources of raw sewage overflows. They like green projects in theory, but prefer new “gray” pipes, because their ability to divert and store wastewater is proven. Tony Robinson, Lew’s spokesman, said the complaint’s account of the meeting was taken out of context. “The purpose of the meeting was solely to say to staff that they had the mayor’s sole and complete support” despite the firings, Robinson said. Robinson said the tone of Lew’s remarks was gentle. Lew told staffers that he knew they had relationships with EPA officials, and encouraged discussion, but said that official communication must go up the chain of command and conform with policy, Robinson said. “It had nothing to do with trying to silence anybody,” Robinson said. “That’s a point he underscored in his comments that they should feel free to talk to the EPA.” But Linda Correia, an attorney for Tulou, said the meeting supports the case that Tulou’s firing was in retribution for performing his job as the city’s foremost technical expert on wastewater’s impact on the environment. She said the meeting amounted to intimidation. “We think it’s a powerful case,” Correia said. “There’s no mistaking the linkage of the comments provided to EPA, the reasons for termination of employment and the statements Mr. Lew made to employees at the meeting. It’s retaliation.”

‘This is the hill we’re gonna die on’

Bob Nixon was driving over the Frederick Douglass Bridge in 1992 when he spied a curious structure under a mound of debris along the Anacostia River. “I know there’s a frickin’ building in there,” he said to himself. Nixon cleared away some refuse, and on a pier with timber pilings sat the Old National Capitol Pumphouse. The rectangular brick building had once provided water for steam heat in the U.S. Capitol. The federal government decommissioned it in the 1950s and surplussed it to the District. “The city didn’t even know it was there,” Nixon said, on a recent tour of the Anacostia watershed. “I thought, if we could restore the pump house, it could serve as a gateway to the river.” With support from Ethel Kennedy, he negotiated a lease with then-Mayor Marion Barry (D). The U.S. Navy, Pepco and D.C.’s water authority helped renovate the building. For 23 years, it has housed the Earth Conservation Corps, a nonprofit program for youth from the city’s poorest wards. Today, the ECC has encouraged more than 24,000 youth and adults to become environmental leaders and educators. Nationals Park is across the street. But the future of the ECC at the pump house hangs in the balance. Nixon is best known for co-producing the Academy Award-nominated film “Gorillas in the Mist.” A “failed biologist,” he has a conservationist’s heart. He is less known, however, for his appreciation of commercial development. On a spring day, he drives into Maryland, to Lower Beaver Dam Creek, where ECC members and students from the Midwest are cleaning up one of the most polluted tributaries in the United States. The air smells of earth and sewage. The volunteers, who have pulled 479 pounds of garbage out of the stream, not including 10 car tires and a cement-filled tractor tire, are smeared with mud. “We do this every year,” he said. “It allows kids to get back to their roots.” Nixon is used to giving tours to government officials and developers to enlist support for the ECC. But he has another motive for animating the cause. The District’s building boom has led Nixon and the ECC to a crossroads. The group is working with the city on a new lease because the ECC is smack in the middle of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, a 30-year, $10 billion economic development project. Which is what Nixon said he always envisioned: economic opportunity in the area to go along with a restored river. He drives toward Poplar Point, a filled-in tidal marsh across the river from the pump house. The District is seeking to acquire the 110-acre site from the federal government, with plans for residences, retail and office space, entertainment and a park. He fears a land grab will diminish the site’s potential. “This is a matter of environmental justice of the highest order,” he said of the fenced-off and ecologically challenged wetlands, meadows and willow thickets. He wants to preserve the entire site for a national wildlife refuge in conjunction with the river initiative. An undeveloped 14-acre strip along the inland side of the point offers opportunities for new construction and amenities that could lure residents, businesses and tourists, Nixon argues. The ECC owns two small parcels along that stretch. “Economic development is central to every community, and a clean environment is central to that,” he said. “This is the hill we’re gonna die on.” Crossing over the Douglass Bridge, Nixon looks down at the pump house, as he did 23 years ago. Now it houses a raptor tracking and conservation program and a workshop for art and video production. He relishes economic opportunities for youth engaged in the ECC or its spinoff nonprofits. “If we clean this river, we can have all this development but we haven’t solved poverty, crime or homelessness. We came to the worst river next to violent, impoverished communities, and we wanted to put these things together and see what would happen.” Now, something big is happening. Two decades after he stumbled across a forgotten pump house covered in trash and guano and turned it into a force for conservation and social progress, Nixon may soon see his vision of conservation-minded economic development come to life. **Read more about this issue:** Dennis Chestnut and Brenda Richardson: Fixing the District — a plan for east of the river Jonetta Rose Barras: A deputy mayor won’t change a thing east of the Anacostia

Gary Oesby sat at a wobbly picnic table at the edge of the Anacostia River, two fishing poles leaning on thin tree limbs, lines in the cold water, stewed beef sweetened with vanilla extract balled up on both hooks, beckoning catfish to take their last bite ever. Oesby, 53, retired, with mouths to feed at home in Southeast, sat patiently for more than an hour. “They’re not biting today,” he said on a recent Monday, “but it’s normally a good spot.” On other days, he claimed he’s caught 30 to 40 fish. Now he would be happy with a few, maybe some tasty channel catfish, the ones with the huge head. “I want to eat good.” There are hundreds of anglers like him, District and Prince George’s County residents mostly, who throw lines in the Anacostia and pull out catfish, rockfish and carp for supper, according to a new study. But it says the fish — especially catfish, which bottom-feed in a toxic soup of muck — are contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals “that present a health risk” to the people who eat them. “We can’t say eating catfish out of the river causes cancer,” said Dottie Yunger, a specialist at the Anacostia Watershed Society, one of several environmental groups that sponsored the study, released in October. “We know there are cancer-causing chemicals in the catfish. And we know that eating it over a long time can make you sick.” Seventy-four percent of anglers in the study said they eat at least part of their catch, and most share it with people who take it home, sometimes to pregnant women and children. This is a major concern, because polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other cancer-causing chemicals detected in fish can affect a child’s mental development. Catfish were a focus of the study, “Addressing the Risk: Understanding and Changing Anglers’ Attitudes about the Dangers of Consuming Anacostia River Fish,” because they are more often found with cancerous tumors. Sixty-five percent of the 111 anglers interviewed said they caught channel catfish often, and 16 percent said they caught them sometimes. Thirty-three percent said they caught brown bullhead catfish often. More than two-thirds of anglers who took part in the study were black, 18 percent were Latino and 8 percent were Asian. More than a quarter were born outside the United States. Nearly 65 percent said they fish the river at least once a week in warm weather. They were less educated than most of the population — 62 percent had no more than a high school or equivalent diploma. A quarter had not completed high school. Latinos, who often speak Spanish in various dialects from countries where there are no advisories, might regard signs saying eat no more than so many pounds of fish per month as silly, said Jorge Bogantes Montero, a natural resources specialists at AWS from Costa Rica. “You need someone to explain why.” With a river system with a long history of pollution from sources such as the Navy Yard, the Washington Gas Light Co. and a landfill, the District issued its first consumption advisory in 1989. But only a few signs were posted in the District until after the new study’s release, Yunger said. Now at least three stand beside the river in Anacostia Park. “Please do not consume your catch before consulting the advisory printed on your fishing license or online.” A few clicks on the D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE) site leads to a stern public health advisory about fishing in the Anacostia, Rock Creek and Potomac River. “Do not eat: Catfish, carp, or eel. May eat: One-half pound per month of largemouth bass, or one-half pound per week of sunfish or other fish,” it says. “The practice of catch and release is encouraged.” Darius Stangu, a 37-year-old D.C. resident who fished for carp in Anacostia Park in early December, said he follows the warnings to the letter. “I only do catch and release,” he said. But if someone asks for his catch, he gives it to them and simply warns them not to eat too many. “Sometimes ignorance is bliss,” Stangu said. The Anacostia is so contaminated with toxins and bacteria that the D.C. Health Department forbids swimming and warns residents to scrub their hands if they so much as touch it. At its bottom, a layer of midnight-black muck is more than six feet deep in places, a storage locker for PCBs and other harmful chemicals. They include pollutants from dripping crankcase oil that runs from the road to the river in rain; car exhaust; carbons from industry smokestacks, wood and coal burning; and small chunks of pavement. Catfish, carp and eels stick their mouths in the muck as they troll for worms and often develop cancers. Smaller bullhead catfish store the residue in the skin, making lesions that develop easy to see. But it is hard to detect problems in bigger channel catfish that store the residue in the muscle that people eat, said Fred Pinkney, a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who analyzed Anacostia fish for the DDOE. “You could have a beautiful-looking channel catfish and it could be loaded with PCBs and other cancer-causing chemicals,” he said. But up and down the 8.4-mile tidal river that flows from the Maryland to the District and flows into the Potomac at Hains Point, anglers said they were confident about the health of the fish. Most anglers in the study who heard about concerns over the health of fish got the news by word of mouth. Oesby and his family members were among those who have not heeded the city’s warning. “My niece, I say to her, I want to put them back in the water. She say, ‘You better bring those things here.’ ” And Oesby does so, saying eating catfish “ain’t never hurt me.” He offered more evidence. “I know some more people eat them, they ain’t hurt.” Mike Bolinder, the Anacostia riverkeeper — his organization is another sponsor of the study — shook his head during a recent interview. “They’re talking about food poisoning, we’re talking about cancer,” he said. Bolinder said he has followed fishermen to their kitchens. They “have developed this visual detection to determine whether fish are clean or not,” he said. They look for dark blood, cloudy eyes, springy flesh. They soak the fish in vinegar and milk for several days to ward off ill effects, or fry it on a high flame to cook out toxic metals. None of this is based in science, he said. In spite of the danger, Bolinder parts ways with environmentalists who believe fishing should be banned. “I am so torn with the findings of the study,” he said. “I wouldn’t encourage someone to eat something bad for not only them but their children. “But . . . how can you deny someone in need of free food, and what are the sociological impacts to taking away fishing? It is the most popular sport in America. Only walking is done more,” he said.

What’s a quick way to see what fish are under the water? The answer may shock you.

Unlucky in love? Put yourself in a shad’s shoes. Or rather, a shad’s fins, for the shad is a fish. It is an anadromous fish, to be exact, which means it is born in freshwater, heads to the ocean to live its life, and then, when it’s time to mate, returns to freshwater and goes in search of partners. As it’s springtime, area rivers are the piscine equivalent of a singles bar next to a no-tell motel. Love is in the air, and sex is in the water. Which is why I felt a little conflicted about striding into the Anacostia River’s Northwest Branch last week wearing chest-high waders and holding a net. I mean, if the creek bed’s a rockin’, don’t come a knockin’. But this was all in the name of science. I was a guest of **Phong Trieu** , an environmental planner with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Every spring, Phong and his team sample stretches of water to gauge the Anacostia’s health and see what sort of fish are lurking beneath the surface. The way they do that is shocking. I mean literally shocking. Last Friday morning, I met Phong, environmental planners **Chris Adriance** and **Matt Gallagher** , and intern **Jesse Boorman-Padgett** at Melrose Park in Hyattsville. The Northwest Branch is just down a grassy embankment, flowing under the Rhode Island Avenue overpass and a railroad bridge. The river bottom is concrete here — to better control flooding — and a concrete fishway allows sex-mad shad to muscle their way upstream. Chris and Matt looked like they’d stepped right out of “Ghostbusters.” They wore high-tech backpacks, each of which trailed a length of wire. In their hands were yellow poles that ended in a loop of metal: the anode to the wire’s cathode. We entered the cold, swiftly moving water, our rubberized waders compressing around our legs. Phong, Jesse and I held long dip nets at the ready. Phong has been wading and boating in the Anacostia rivershed for the council for 18 years. He’s been to certain areas so often that his feet remember the structure hidden beneath the water. He guided us carefully downstream until we reached an area where he felt the shad would be waiting. At Phong’s signal, Chris and Matt dipped their poles in the water and swept them back and forth like metal detectors at the beach. The sound of rushing water was joined by a chorus of beeps as Chris and Matt closed the circuits on their poles, spreading electricity in a 10-foot diameter around them. Nothing, nothing, nothing. And then a white shape rose from the murk. I lurched forward with my net, scooped up the foot-long fish and flipped it, wriggling, into an orange bucket Phong was holding. More fish floated up, temporarily paralyzed by the electricity, and we netted them. Back in shallow water, Phong went through the buckets, noting the catch. It was mostly hickory shad and gizzard shad. To check the sex, Phong squeezed along the belly, forcing out either pale eggs or white milt. When the fish census was over, the fish went back into the water, everything but their dignity intact. We visited four spots in all. At one, we saw an osprey swoop down and catch a fish in its talons. In a quiet spot near the University of Maryland, Phong shouted “Bald eagle on the left!” and we watched that majestic bird soar effortlessly above the trees. Near the College Park Airport we splashed down the Northeast Branch to the confluence of Paint Branch and Indian Creek. The branches of budding trees arched over us, and the sun made diamonds on the water. Here, there was no concrete overpass, no railroad trestle. Matt said, “I could blindfold you and drop you down in places in Prince George’s County and you’d have no idea where you were.” We could have been in a New England trout stream or a Yosemite creek. “I’m always excited to see the hickory shad,” Phong told me later. “I’m a fly fisherman, and that’s a big recreational fish. That fish is definitely a Potomac River and Anacostia River success story.” By the day’s end, we’d found hickory shad, gizzard shad, alewifes, pumpkinseed sunfish, redbreasts, bluegills, American eels, tessellated darters, a white sucker, a quillback sucker, spottail shiners, some mummichogs and some banded killifish. Some were natives, and some were just passing through. Sort of like the rest of us Washingtonians. To watch a video of Phong and his team in action, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. I’m taking next week off. I’ll see you back in this space on May 5. **Twitter: @johnkelly** For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.

Anacostia River trail system moves toward completion

Plans are moving forward to complete a 60-mile system of trails along the Anacostia River and its tributaries, with local and federal officials today unveiling designs for a key four-mile segment of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail mainly in Northeast Washington. The new segment will extend the existing Riverwalk Trail, which starts near the mouth of the Anacostia at Nationals Park and continues north to Benning Road near RFK Stadium. The new stretch will move north from Benning Road past the now-closed Pepco power plant and Anacostia Park and through the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and will connect to Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Prince George’s County and Maryland’s 40-plus-mile system of trails along the river’s tributaries. The design has the route meandering on sidewalks along the edge of the Kenilworth Parkside and Mayfair neighborhoods before entering onto 10- to 12-foot-wide asphalt, concrete and boardwalk trails though the Aquatic Gardens, passing under U.S. 50 and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and over several tributaries such as Watts Branch and Beaverdam Creek. Two-thirds of the $15 million in funding is coming from a federal transportation grant; the District is kicking in $3.5 million, while Maryland has committed $1.5 million. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the spring, with completion expected in fall 2014. Here are some pretty pictures:

D.C.’s infrastructure gets a C-minus — and transportation ranks lowest

Despite recent investments in the District’s infrastructure, it continues to crumble — and in the worst state is the city’s transportation system. A report card to be released Thursday by the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the city a C-minus, just above failing. “We keep on falling behind gradually,” said Ranjit Sahai, a professional engineer with the consulting firm RAM in Northern Virginia, who chaired the report. The District’s grade was pulled down by some of its biggest — and well-known — problems: an embattled transit system, congested roads and two levee systems in need of improvements to reduce the city’s flood risk. The good news is the District fares slightly better than the nation as a whole, which received a D-plus. Still, its score isn’t something to be proud of. “It basically says that it is in mediocre condition that requires attention,” Sahai said. The city’s roads, for example, remain some of the most congested in the United States, causing drivers to sit idling in traffic, which causes roadways to become worn down. But to maintain city streets in even “fair” condition, the D.C. Department of Transportation needs four times its current maintenance budget, the ASCE concluded. Last year, DDOT spent $25.3 million. Keeping infrastructure in good repair isn’t cheap. A report last year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments said the region needs $58 billion in yet-to-be identified funding over then next 15 years to keep its transportation, utility, safety and energy infrastructure in good shape. That report, which focused on the entire Washington area, found a funding gap of $24.5 billion for transportation, including public transit, roads and bridges, and $20 billion for drinking-water supply and sewage treatment. At the national level, an estimated investment of $3.6 trillion is needed to put all infrastructure in good working order. “There really needs to be ongoing, year after year, investments,” said Stephen Walz, an official with the Council of Governments who co-authored its report. “Part of the hole that we got ourselves in is that we were making insufficient investment in some of these areas, so it has decreased the serviceability, the reliability, the resilience in the systems,” he said. In rating 11 areas of infrastructure, ASCE found a couple of bright spots for the city. Its 265 bridges received a B-minus, in part due to the District’s recent undertaking of repairing critical infrastructure, with the goal of reducing by half the number of structurally deficient bridges. The work included replacing the 16th Street Bridge over Military Road and improving the New York Avenue and 11th Street bridges. With the $200 million investment in rebuilding the Virginia Avenue Tunnel in Southeast and other investments in the tracks used by freight and passenger trains, the city’s rail system received a grade of B-minus. The District’s overall ranking is in line with Maryland’s, which was last graded in 2011, and Virginia’s, which was graded in 2015. Maryland scored best for its maintenance of bridges but poor for managing storm water that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia did best for its recycling efforts but ranked poor for its congested roadways — a problem shared with the District. The District’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure is a concern for drivers and other road users. People who drive in the city collectively pay $311 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs —or $833 per motorist, according to ASCE. An earlier report by ASCE found that 95 percent of the District’s major streets were in poor or mediocre condition. In 2014, DDOT said nearly 40 percent of all the roads were in poor or very poor condition, and a lack of funding has resulted in poor maintenance and slow response in road repairs. DDOT said Wednesday that it welcomed ASCE’s assessment as “a valuable tool” in the city’s efforts to improve its infrastructure. Asked whether the city’s roads deserve a D-plus, spokesman Terry Owens said the agency is proud of its work maintaining city roads, tunnels and bridges. “Are there challenges?” he said. “Yes.” The transit system ranked lowest, getting a D. Metro’s financial woes and safety missteps, which prompted a federal takeover of safety oversight for its rail system, remain a concern for the agency and its riders, ASCE concluded. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said they agency didn’t know how the D rating was reached and was unaware of any analysis or inspections that the report’s authors might have conducted in the system. “It is no surprise that years of underinvestment dating back more than a decade led to a significant backlog of deferred maintenance,” Stessel said, adding that the transit agency “has been working to bring the system to a healthy state, and that work continues to this day.”

Anacostia: Why I have faith in the future of my neighborhood

_Michael Shank, a resident of Anacostia, is an adjunct professor atGeorge Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, a senior fellow at the French American Global Forum and a contributor to The Washington Post’s local faith leader network . _ __ Of the two rivers that cup our nation’s capital — the Potomac and the Anacostia— the latter of the two is, perhaps, the most apt reflection of where America is at socio-economically.The Anacostia River, the Anglicized namesake of which was first officially recorded by Thomas Jefferson and referred to the Nacotchtank Native American tribe dwelling east of the river, is just down the hill from my Anacostia house and reflects well what divides our nation’s capital and ultimately, America. A quick dig into the District’s demographics and it is painfully apparent: a growing white majority living west of the river, encroaching east, and a predominantly African-American majority living east of the river. There is no question that we are a deeply and demographically divided city. As I take Metro’s green line home to Anacostia after work, I am frequently the only white person on the train. Any remaining white folks on the green line generally disembark at Navy Yard, the last stop before crossing east of the Anacostia River. As it happens in the District, so too does it happen in America. This year researchers at Dartmouth, the University of Georgia and the University of Washington looked at Census neighborhood data to compare trends in racial diversity and found that highly diverse neighborhoods are actually rare; African-Americans remain concentrated in segregated neighborhoods and newly- arrived immigrants continue to settle in concentrated racial residential patterns. Yet this trend is not the only divider in the District. The Anacostia River is a divider of class as well, with a majority of the town’s wealth living to the west of the river and a much poorer population living to the east. Hovering much lower than the national average of $50,000, the average median household income in Anacostia struggles at $30,000 for a family of four, compared with Washington, D.C.’s $60,000, and the broader D.C. metro area at well over $80,000. In fact, U.S. Census data cites the income gap in the District as one the highest in the nation. Furthermore, the unemployment rate west of the river is roughly 8.9 percent, while east of the river it’s 35 percent. The Anacostia River is also a racial disparity dividing line with regards to educational achievement and opportunity. More money, better access, more opportunities and higher standards characterize learning west of the river. Less money, fewer supplies, fewer opportunities and access, and lower standards characterize what’s available for students east of the river. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the District has the largest black-white and Hispanic-white gaps in the country by every measure of academic achievement the study looked at. There is a 73-point gulf between the District’s white and black eighth-graders in math scores. That’s more than double the national average gap of 31 points. These disparities make for difficult social mobility.  In my Anacostia neighborhood, for example, where families have lived for generations and great-grandparents live on the same block as their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, it is quite clear that social mobility – being able to do better than our parents did – is difficult to impossible. And yet, despite the deep disparities in economic and educational opportunity and achievement, there is something very different about Anacostia that sets it distinctly apart from the rest of Washington. It is the people who live here.  Unlike anything I’ve experienced in my past residences west of the river, my Anacostia neighbors are like no other. Frankly speaking, it is one of the only places in the District where you can find a real community. My neighbors, many of whom have lived on my block for more than 30 years, and some longer than 50 years, look out for me, ask about me, take care of me and call me when I’ve been out of town simply to check up on me. My neighbors are one of the best parts of my day. Every morning there is a word of wisdom from a neighbor or an offered ride to the Metro. Every night is a friendly recap of the day’s goings-on and every month is a block or dinner party. After several years in Anacostia, I am now a brother to my neighbors. That is what they call me and that is what I feel. In the District , this amiable neighborly behavior is now remarkably rare, which is why I moved to Anacostia in southeast — where it is not. Unfortunately, too few people on the west side of the Anacostia ever cross the river to realize this. I’m amazed at the psychological barrier; despite how close Anacostia is to downtown Washington. Until this barrier is bridged, the aforementioned wealth, race and education achievement gaps will remain persistent and pervasive. I’m not suggesting gentrification — far from it, though it’s worth noting that my neighbors’ biggest beef with the newly built condos nearby is that the middle-upper class owners never come chat or chill with us, not even at the big annual end-of-summer block party. Their aloofness and disregard for preexisting dwellers is the biggest offense. What I am suggesting is a courageous countenancing of the classism, racism and inequality of opportunity that exists in our nation’s capital and in our country. In Anacostia's case, that means crossing the river, being present with people, listening to their needs, and asking how to be of service, whether it is small business grants, local hiring quotas for east-of-the-river projects, job skills training, housing and mortgage assistance, tutoring and GED test prep, nutritional options, free legal advice and representation, career mentoring, summer jobs for Anacostia’s youth, in-town environmental cleanups, or as simple as childcare for a single working mother. There is a reason why Anacostia’s older generation still votes for Marion Barry as their Ward 8 City Council member. When serving as mayor of Washington, Barry got them jobs. We must now do the same for Anacostia’s next generation, empowering all youth east of the river with the access, opportunity, skill and confidence to rise and lead – before the boot of a gentrifying city kicks this can further down the road. And yet the District’s disparities are not so different from the country’s disparities.  America is witnessing some of its highest income inequality and lowest social mobility rates ever, and the rise in violence and prejudice based on race, creed, color and sexual orientation is increasingly disconcerting.  If we are to fix any of this, it is best that we start at home, in our back yard, and in our nation’s capital. And that begins with the Anacostia.

D.C. news in brief

The D.C. Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works will issue warning tickets through the end of the month to vehicles parked outside the white lines along the H Street/Benning Road corridor. With the warning tickets, the two agencies hope to educate and prepare motorists for D.C. streetcar vehicles, which will begin safety tests in the area next month. Improperly parked vehicles, particularly those double-parked, could impede the streetcars. Next month, ticketing will begin in earnest. For information, call 855-413-2954 or go to www.dcstreetcar.com. The National Capital Planning Commission is having an open house on the SW Ecodistrict Initiative, the final plan for sustainable urban development in the 15-block federal precinct south of the Mall. The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the National Capital Planning Commission, 401 Ninth St. NW, Suite 500. A core goal of the plan is the protection of the Mall from overuse. Key components include a park and an expanded L’Enfant Station transit center on Maryland Avenue, improvements to Banneker Park and mixed-use developments at Independence Quarter and atop the Southwest Freeway with a focus on pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly areas. For information, go to www.ncpc.gov/swecodistrict. The Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage, a nonprofit community center, is seeking nominations for its Phenomenal Seniors Awards honoring District senior citizens 70 and older who make outstanding contributions to their community. The group will honor one senior from each of the District’s wards. For information, call 202-462-8314 or e-mail dowens@tmcsh.org. Nominations, due Dec. 30, can be made at www.thurgoodmarshallcenter.org or mailed to Phenomenal Seniors, 1816 12th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20009. An awards ceremony is planned for Feb. 22. The D.C. Department of Transportation is having an informational meeting on updates to the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Transportation Master Plan from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I St. SW. The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative is a 30-year, $10 billion series of transportation, environmental, economic, community and recreation projects to develop the shores of the Anacostia River from the tidal basin to the northeast border of Maryland. The master plan organizes the AWI transportation studies and projects into a comprehensive and coordinated program. For information, go to www.anacostiawaterfront.org. To comment or be added to the AWI contact list, e-mail ddot.awi@dc.gov or call 202-741-8528. The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation is having a winter coat drive for the needy. Coats can be dropped off at two locations: the Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Ave. NW, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 20; and the Guy Mason Recreation Center, 3600 Calvert St. NW, from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 4. For information, call 202-282-2204 or 202-727-7736. House of Help, a shelter and drug treatment program, seeks donations of gift cards, unwrapped toys, new winter clothing, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, new bedding and linens, space heaters and school supplies. Items may be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the House of Help transitional housing facility, 2322 16th St. SE, lower level. For information, call 202-249-8511. ** — Compiled by Terence McArdle  **

With Christophe Tulou’s firing, D.C. is losing a good leader

I was saddened to read about the dismissal of Christophe A.G. Tulou as head of the District Department of the Environment [“Head of environment office fired for ‘breach of protocol,’ ” Metro, Sept. 1]. I have known Mr. Tulou professionally for 20 years and have found him to be one of the smartest, most highly effective and most respected state environmental regulators in the country. Ironically, the week he was dismissed, he received two of the three national awards presented by the Environmental Council of the States to recognize excellence in government for innovative environmental programs. He will be sorely missed. ****S. William Becker,** Washington** The writer is executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

The Anacostia, as you haven’t seen it

Imagine yourself cruising down a tree-lined river under a bright blue sky. Turtles sun themselves on logs that jut from the water. Herons swoop down. As you pass a strip of wetlands, you notice a trunk recently felled by a beaver and leafy plants that stretch into the current. This is the Anacostia River as most people have never seen it. And you can check it out for yourself for free. Six days a week, pontoon boats carrying up to 40 passengers leave Bladensburg Waterfront Park, heading downstream toward the National Arboretum and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. These simple craft, with their sides open to the elements, are run by the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation, which also oversees kayak and paddle boat rentals at the park, as well as the nearby Battle of Bladensburg Visitor Center. As you putter down the river, the captain uses a microphone to discuss passing scenery, such as a dense new wetlands area, created to offset the wetlands lost in the building of National Harbor and the new Wilson Bridge, or the river’s confluence with Dueling Creek, which flows past the old Bladensburg Dueling Grounds, where naval hero Stephen Decatur was mortally wounded. There’s plenty of talk about the War of 1812, thanks to the famous Battle of Bladensburg, where the British troops’ victory allowed them a relatively unobstructed path to Washington. In those days, the captain explains, the river was much wider and up to 40 feet deep, which allowed ships from Europe to sail up the Anacostia to Bladensburg to take on loads of tobacco. That turned Bladensburg into an important port for shipping tobacco and trading goods from Europe. But the river began to silt up early in the 19th century, and by the 1840s, oceangoing vessels could no longer navigate it, leading to Bladensburg’s decline. It’s hard to think of the Anacostia being so vast, especially when the depth now ranges from three to eight feet. (That might affect your trip: When tides run too high, the pontoon boat is unable to squeeze under the bridge at New York Avenue and must turn back to Bladensburg, abbreviating the journey.) Aside from the general tours, there are trips with special themes. Earlier this year, a few focused on Bladensburg’s role in the War of 1812; on Sept. 8, a special two-hour bird watching tour will search the skies and the trees along the river’s bank for grackles, egrets and maybe even a bald eagle. Now, it’s not as if the Anacostia becomes an idyllic waterway as soon as you cross the District line. The water is murky, and you might see the occasional bottle or can bobbing along, but litter and stench in this stretch of the river are nowhere near as prevalent as they used to be. “It’s another tool in the toolbox when you’re thinking about things to do with the kids,” said Sheila Patton after a recent tour with her husband, Ricky, and children Dennis and Mary. The family recently moved to Takoma Park, and “I’ve been trying to look into what P.G. County has to offer,” said Patton, a nurse at Providence Hospital. “It’s a fun, free family activity.” With that, Dennis ran off to see the caboose on the other side of the parking lot. The park offers picnic tables, playgrounds and hiking and biking trails through wetlands, plus a Battle of Bladensburg walking tour (see box). Whether you’re coming in the middle of the week or on a weekend, it’s worth exploring for a few hours. The Battle of Bladensburg Visitor Center isn’t the only War of 1812 attraction here. As part of the Star Spangled 200 Celebration, a new walking trail follows the events of the battle from the riverbank through the towns of Cottage City and Colmar Manor. Pick up a brochure at the center, then navigate a series of interpretive markers. (Follow clusters of five-pointed stars painted onto sidewalks as if they were bread crumbs.) Although it’s not on the tour brochure, you might want to finish up inside Fort Lincoln Cemetery, where a memorial marks the site of a valiant stand by Commodore Joshua Barney and his Marines. The walking trail is a little under 21 / 2 miles round-trip. Off the trail, you’ll find commemorative markers at George Washington House, Bostwick House and other sites in Bladensburg. 4601 Annapolis Rd., Bladensburg. 301-779-0371. www.pgparks.com **IF YOU GO** : Pontoon boat tours lasting 45 minutes are offered through Oct. 31. Boats leave at noon Tuesday through Friday and at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The special bird-watching tour on Sept. 8 runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pontoon boats are covered, but the sides are open, so you might want to take sunscreen or even a jacket. (Remember, it’s a few degrees chillier on the water.) The number of seats is limited, and passenger sign-up begins 30 minutes before the boat departs. (It’s a good idea to arrive on the early side, anyway, to grab a life jacket.) No reservations are taken, except for groups of 12 or more, which are required to call and schedule tours in advance.

D.C. environmental official dismissed for ‘breach of protocol’

A member of Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s Cabinet has been fired for what one city official described as a “serious breach of protocol.” The dismissal of Christophe A.G. Tulou, director of the D.C. Department of the Environment, was announced in an unusual Friday afternoon news release from City Administrator Allen Y. Lew. The release did not detail why Tulou was fired; Lew’s spokesman, Tony Robinson, referred to the “breach of protocol” in a brief interview but declined to detail what it was. Two officials with knowledge of the firing said Gray (D) and Lew were increasingly dismayed with Tulou acting without their knowledge or input. One incident, one official said, concerned efforts by city agencies to seek a waiver from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and other parties allowing it to test “low-impact development” as a substitute for expensive tunneling to prevent sewage from draining into the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. According to the official, Tulou approached the EPA without Lew’s or Gray’s knowledge to discuss seeking the waiver to a 2003 court-enforced consent decree — something Gray has publicly endorsed but which has been met with opposition from several environmental groups. Tulou did not immediately return a call for comment Friday afternoon. His dismissal comes as tensions have risen between the environment department and real estate developers, who have been particularly critical of new regulations concerning stormwater management. Ernie Jarvis, president of the D.C. Building Industry Association, said he contacted Tulou and other officials about the “velocity” of new rules. “We were concerned about the lack of collaboration and the lack of understanding of some of the commercial impact” of some of the regulations, Jarvis said. He said his organization had not requested that Tulou be fired. “We were not calling for personnel change; we were calling for more collaboration with the private sector,” he said. In a statement, Lew thanked Tulou for his service and said he would “immediately commence a search for a strong, innovative leader of this vital agency.” Keith Anderson, the agency’s chief of staff, will serve as interim director, he said. D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), who oversees the environment department, said she thought Tulou at times “didn’t have a handle on the nuts and bolts of the agency.” “But I want to be clear — I thought he was a good head of the agency, and things are moving along,” she said. “I’m not particularly happy we have this upheaval at the top.” Tulou, a former director of Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, was named to lead the department in 2010 by then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D). He replaced George S. Hawkins, now general manager of D.C. Water and a major proponent of using low-impact development — efforts to reduce the amount of storm runoff entering the sewer system — to abate the need for tunneling.While he had heard “technical concerns” from Tulou about the waiver proposal, Hawkins said, “I believe the position of the mayor’s office is clear.” __ Hawkins said he was not aware of the circumstances of Tulou’s dismissal. “I like Christophe; I liked working with him,” he said. He added that there’s “been all sorts of back and forth between the parties” over seeking the waiver in recent months. Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.

The most wasted space in D.C.

Environmentally, Los Angeles in the 1950s was a terrible place to grow up. But I was lucky: Most summers, my parents would load my six brothers and sisters and me into the car to visit great state and national parks. At home, kids of all colors and classes struggled to breathe in the yellow smog. But because my parents could take summer vacations and we had a drivable — if badly overcrowded — car, we could enjoy clean air, clean water and abundant wildlife. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis recently wrote in The Post that our national parks are the collective expression of who we are. But tens of millions of people — those who live in urban areas and can’t easily drive to see the wonder of the great national parks — are mostly missing from the picture. Twenty-two months ago, I was part of a group that met with Jarvis and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to discuss Anacostia Park, a 1,200-acre federal property along the Anacostia River, managed since 1933 by the National Park Service. Jewell spoke with passion about how the National Park Service needs to update its brand to appeal more to a younger, more urban and more racially and culturally diverse America. The Park Service has taken steps in that direction by developing an “urban agenda.” But as it begins its second century, it needs to get serious about bringing parks to Americans where they live. That means investing a lot more time, money and energy in its urban parkland. Anacostia Park is where that should happen first. Nearly a century old, larger than New York City’s Central Park and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, sitting at the foot of Capitol Hill on a gentle estuary with outstanding natural biodiversity, Anacostia Park ranks among the biggest wasted opportunities in the nation’s capital. This National Park Service property is sadly underinvested, almost entirely unprogrammed, toxic in several places and simply barren in others. Yet its potential to contribute to the District and the nation is stunning. More than 21 million people visit the District each year. Some would seek out a great Anacostia Riverside National Park and bring their disposable income to spend in the eastern part of the District. What if the park sponsored daily educational enrichment activities for the young people in nearby neighborhoods? What if a section of the park were similar to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, with programs oriented to more contemporary urban music? What if the park had a permanent interpretive display of Washington’s vibrant African American communities of the mid-20th century? Dreaming aside, there is a great opportunity right now for Anacostia Park. A new superintendent was just named, and the park’s own 100th anniversary is just around the corner. The new superintendent should convene a second-century advisory group of the best urban park experts in the nation to design a truly great Anacostia Riverside National Park, and then put in place the kind of public-private park partnership that has proved successful in New York, San Francisco and many other places. Cutting-edge capital and program investments could eventually be shared among the Park Service budget, private contributors and perhaps the District. Anacostia Riverside National Park could be a shining example of how to creatively design, build and program a great national riverside urban park in the very heart of Washington. Anniversaries are occasions to look back and celebrate accomplishments. But the time has come to roll up our sleeves and create permanent, positive change. It is now time for the National Park Service to commit to creating a new generation of great parks for America’s urban citizens, starting right here in the nation’s capital. **Read more about this issue:** Doug Siglin: Time stands still on the eastern Anacostia waterfront Dennis Chestnut and Brenda Richardson: A plan for east of the river

Do environmental rules make it harder to build infrastructure?

Building a massive highway or bridge or subway in the United States takes a lot longer today than it did back in, say, the 1950s. Why is that? One popular scapegoat is environmental regulation. In 1969, Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires all federal agencies to review the potential impacts of their actions. A very large transportation project that gets money from Congress often has to file an "Environmental Impact Statement" and gather input from the public, which can take years. And, as this chart from Nate Berg over at Atlantic Cities shows, completing those reviews seems to be taking longer and longer as time goes by:  The data comes from this America 2050 report (pdf). Back in the 1970s, finishing up an Environmental Impact Statement took just two years, on average. Today, it takes more than eight. (Keep in mind, however, that this _only_ applies to the largest, costliest transportation projects: Just 15 percent of federal highway spending even requires an impact statement in the first place.) Now, does this mean Congress should blow up NEPA? No. Or at least that's not what the Regional Plan Association, which published the report, recommends. The authors note that environmental rules themselves aren't chiefly responsible for the holdup. Rather, according to a survey of people who actually plan and build these roads and bridges, most of the delays come from agency problems: "administrative process bottlenecks, project management failings, or a lack of capacity among the agencies involved in the process." In fact, the report notes, it's quite possible to build large roads and bridges very quickly under existing environmental rules. Consider Minneapolis. Back in 2007, the city's Mississippi River Bridge on I-34W collapsed, killing 13 people. It was a widely publicized disaster. Lots of headlines. What's more, Minneapolis needed to rebuild the bridge immediately — it was a crucial route with heavy traffic. So all the local and federal agencies huddled together to make it work. And they managed to leap through all the environmental hoops and rebuild the bridge in less than 14 months: All told, the America 2050 report notes, it would be a mistake for Congress to hack away at existing federal regulations — doing so would "undermine environmental protections and fail to address root causes of delay." It's worth remembering, after all, that environmental reviews can be quite valuable: The Sierra Club has compiled a dossier (pdf) of road projects over the years that were successfully altered thanks to review and public input in order to stem water pollution or to limit sprawl or to avoid disrupting scenic areas. Instead, the report recommends "reforming the internal administrative policies, procedures, and practices currently in place." That includes humdrum stuff like "integrating environmental reviews with state and metropolitan planning requirements into a more cohesive project development process." The report offers plenty of detail on what that all means. Sadly, those dry bureaucratic steps don't make for a sexy campaign slogan. But they might help get all of our bogged-down highways and bridges built more quickly. **Related:** Is this duck delaying your highway?

Guardian of the Potomac Ed Merrifield is sailing toward end of his job as riverkeeper

Friends say he has the vigor of a younger man, but Ed Merrifield knows the truth. He is tiring at age 65, and ready to give up his demanding third career as the Potomac riverkeeper. As his boat sped past the Francis Scott Key Bridge recently on one of his final runs on the Potomac, wind blowing his snow-white beard, Merrifield said, “It’s time. It feels right.” He cut the engine and, in the middle of the river, boat gently rocking, reflected on why he and other riverkeepers are such fierce protectors of waters. “They tell us in school that we’re mostly water,” said Merrifield, whose retirement is effective on New Year’s Eve. “Well, if you live in the Washington area, and you drink from it, you are mostly Potomac River.” Nearly 500 million gallons are taken from the river basin every day to supply water to nearly 6 million residents. The water quality has improved since Congress called the Potomac a “national disgrace” in the 1960s, but the river is still dirty. On his patrol, Merrifield, of Rockville, went under the Arlington Memorial Bridge, not far from where biologists discovered male bass with female sex organs, raising concern that toxic pollution rearranged their hormones. He pointed to a huge sewer drain near Georgetown, where millions of gallons of stormwater runoff and raw human waste overflow into the river each year. This was what pushed him into riverkeeping a decade ago. “We stop water pollution,” he said. “If it’s illegal pollution, we go after it as fast as we can to tell them you have to stop. We use all legal means necessary. We won’t back down.” A few months ago, when Merrifield announced his plan to retire, his organization quickly posted a tweet: “Do you have what it takes to be a riverkeeper?” It was no small question. The answer? You probably do not. Riverkeepers are part of the worldwide Waterkeeper Alliance that started in 1966 when commercial and recreational fishermen united to fight industrial pollution in New York’s Hudson River and to protect their way of life. After several court victories, the nonprofit Hudson River Fishermen’s Association hired its first full-time Hudson riverkeeper to patrol the river. Copycat river, bay, beach and ocean keepers sprang up worldwide, until the alliance was founded in 1999 to unite and support them, establishing waterkeeper bylaws and codes of conduct. Merrifield is one of about 200 waterkeepers worldwide; the Chesapeake Bay watershed has about 20. “I make a lot of enemies,” said Fred Tutman, the Patuxent riverkeeper. “The work by its very nature is adversarial. Usually your enemies are polluters, sometimes politicians.” If you don’t get people mad at you, he said, “you shouldn’t be a riverkeeper.” “You’ve got to be ready to mix it up,” said Paul Gallay, head of the national riverkeeper organization, based in New York. “You have to have a vessel, develop a grass-roots constituency, respond to complaints, advocate for and enforce environmental laws, including legal enforcement, if necessary.” Across the world, nonprofit riverkeeper organizations are supported by 40,000 activists, members and volunteers, said Gallay, who is also the Hudson riverkeeper. In the United States, keepers use the federal Clean Water Act, which gives citizens the right to sue municipalities, as a weapon against pollution. Some keepers are scientists who contract with government agencies to study water, often under a baking sun. For nearly all of them, an investigation starts with something like this: A suspicious resident calls in a tip about some operation causing pollution, and out they go. If it’s true, they fire off a letter. If negotiations fail, they eventually turn to lawyers. Keepers have sued many high-profile organizations: General Electric, Pepco, Washington Gas and Light, D.C. Water and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, some of their natural enemies. But they have also sued friends, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, if they think they’ve failed to enforce their own rules. In the District, the Potomac, along with the Anacostia River and Rock Creek, are off-limits to most swimming, even though the 1972 Clean Water Act called for the nation’s waters to be swimmable by 1985. That’s why Merrifield, a former chiropractor and federal government computer programmer, charged into the waterkeeper movement in 2003. He had read a book called “The Riverkeepers” by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and was deeply influenced. The book tells the story of the movement’s start. It took a spark — one recreational angler who became angry enough to sue after security officers for a railroad company hauled him out of the Hudson River, claiming the company owned the section where he fished. Merrifield was struck by the argument used against the railroad and other companies to reclaim the Hudson. The right to fish and enjoy the river is guaranteed “in the oldest body of law upon which our democracy rests, the Public Trust Doctrine” that appears in English Common Law and Roman law before that, the authors wrote. In other words, the water, dunes, beaches, tides, fisheries, shellfish beds, floor, “the gifts of nature’s bounty,” belong to the people and should not be dirtied or privately owned. “It’s the kind of thing you know deep down that’s right — the air and the water belong to everybody, and you have to take care of it,” Merrifield said. “That just did it for me.” Claudia Donegan, a natural resources planner for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), first saw Merrifield at meetings of the Maryland Tributary Strategy Teams. He was itching to “get into the policy part of cleaning up the water, rather than going out to pick up garbage from time to time,” she said. “One day he said, ‘I’m retiring from being a chiropractor,’ and I said, ‘Oh, you should apply for this riverkeeper job.’ ” Merrifield, a private practitioner, had not applied for a job in 25 years. But weeks later, he called her. “Oh my God, I got the job,” he said. The Potomac Riverkeeper was a brand new organization. Merrifield was a staff of one. He had no idea what to do. “You get to be the Lorax,” Donegan said, referring to a Dr. Seuss character. “You speak for the trees. Or . . . for the fish.” Merrifield had to first learn how to raise money, then form a team, said Mac Thornton, a former prosecutor and original board member of the Potomac Riverkeeper organization. Within a few years, he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect “The Nation’s River” and built a staff of 10. More important, he formed an alliance with law schools at the universities of Maryland and Virginia, as well as Georgetown, George Washington and Widener universities. Private law firms offered pro bono support to file claims against alleged polluters. Merrifield recalled his first big fight over lead contamination in Seneca Creek, a Potomac tributary. A resident complained that a skeet shooting club sent targets soaring over the creek, where shooters blasted lead rounds. Merrifield said he complained to the DNR, but nothing happened. “It took four years of fighting DNR before the state gave in and cleaned the site,” Merrifield said. In those four years, starting in 2004, Merrifield persuaded a television news crew to investigate. A positive test for lead contamination led to the club’s downfall. “I’m glad Ed is on my team,” said Mike Bolinder, the Anacostia riverkeeper, “because I never want to find myself on the opposite side of a courtroom with Ed. “The thing I learned from Ed that will make me a better riverkeeper is never accept weasel words,” Bolinder said. Those are terms companies use to kick the can, like “moving toward” or “showing improvement” or “making progress” on stopping pollution. They give polluters cover. “If you see weasel words, something ain’t right,” he said.

Green solutions for the District’s stormwater runoff problem

The story of stormwater runoff in Washington is a tale of two cities. In one, rain mixes with sewage; in the other, it’s separated. But neither is sending pristine water into the Potomac and the Anacostia. Two-thirds of the city is categorized as MS4 (municipal separated storm sewer system) and one-third CSS (combined sewer system), said Meredith Upchurch, who works for the Infrastructure Project Management Administration of the city’s Transportation Department. She leads the team that is about to begin construction of RiverSmart Green Alleys projects in two Northwest neighborhoods. The problem with CSS is well known: During downpours, it sends untreated human waste into Rock Creek and the two rivers. But MS4 water carries “a lot of heavy metal pollutants — copper, zinc, lead,” Upchurch said. “You get phosphorous and nitrogen that come off the planted areas, or from fertilizers. You get E. coli, bacteria from pet waste or other animal waste.” The Green Alleys project will retrofit an area just west of Georgia Avenue in Petworth (a CSS zone) and one centered on Quesada Street in Chevy Chase (served by MS4 pipes). Three kinds of permeable surfaces will be installed — concrete, asphalt and preconstructed pavers — and rainwater-retention areas will be added. The goal is to “either keep the water out of the storm sewer system and the streams altogether, or clean it up,” Upchurch said. “Let it filter through the soil, through the plants, through the mulch, so it captures those pollutants before the water goes into those streams.” The two updates, budgeted at $3.5 million, are demonstration projects, funded by an Environmental Protection Agency grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, said Steve Saari, an environmental protection specialist for the city’s Environment Department. Construction is set to begin this month and conclude in December. The Transportation Department has already constructed some Green Alleys in Northeast, in a neighborhood near Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue. But the results of that 2012 effort have not been systematically measured. The Petworth and Chevy Chase areas were selected “partially because the alleys were in poor condition and needed to be updated,” Saari said. But the locations were also chosen because the effect of the changes can be easily quantified. “You can trace the sewer pipes. They go to a single point where it transitions into the rest of the sewer system,” Upchurch said. “There has been monitoring equipment there to measure the current volume of runoff. Then after we construct the RiverSmart Washington project, we’ll monitor again at the same point and determine the change in volume.” Runoff should already be somewhat diminished because of the RiverSmart Homes program. The citywide project, administered by the Environment Department, funds stormwater retrofits for 1,000 D.C. homeowners a year. Up to $1,200 per household is available to pay for rain barrels, tree planting, rain gardens, removal of impervious surfaces and replacing grass with native plants with deeper roots. For the Petworth and Chevy Chase project, “we really wanted to get more homeowners on board, and we also wanted to do more work,” Saari said. “So we offered up to $5,000 on each individual home.” Of 136 property owners, he reported, 64 participated. That’s a little less than half, with the split almost 50-50 between Petworth and Chevy Chase. The Green Alley neighborhoods aren’t the only areas where the city has encouraged water-retention projects. There are privately funded rain gardens in the Yards development along the Anacostia River near Nationals Park. Not all soil will effectively filter rainwater. In urban areas, the ground can be compacted into near solidity by building and transportation uses. And some dirt is just naturally dense. “Ideally, you would want to build one of these systems and have the water flow through and into the ground,” Upchurch noted. “When the soil is really sandy or loamy, the water can flow through. But we have a lot of clay soils in the District.” In such cases, a Green Alley includes a layer of gravel and an underdrain that feeds into sewer lines. “We don’t want the water to stand there for more than 72 hours,” Upchurch said. Because most people don’t like mosquitoes in their back yard anymore than they do heavy metals in their water.

House Republicans receive lowest approval rating in 44 years by environmental group

With moderate, pro-environment Republicans increasingly squeezed out of the House, GOP members of that chamber last year earned their lowest collective score in the 44-year history of the League of Conservation Voters’ annual scorecard, which was released Tuesday morning.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University House Republicans earned a collective approval rating of just 5 percent in 2013 on the 28 bills examined by the environmental group, which focuses on electoral politics. In 2008, Republicans scored 17 percent, and in 2012, 10 percent, said Jeff Gohringer, a spokesman for the organization. During the four years that Newt Gingrich held the speakership in the 1990s, House Republicans averaged an approval rating of nearly 22 percent from the group, he said. Top scores, not surprisingly, went to delegations from states such as Connecticut (96 percent), New Hampshire (96 percent), Hawaii (95 percent), Maine (95 percent) and Massachusetts (94 percent). Low scores went to Wyoming (0 percent), Arkansas (3 percent) and Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota (all with 4 percent). Collectively, Democrats earned an 87 percent rating. The tally, selected by representatives of a variety of environmental interests, includes votes on the Keystone XL pipeline, offshore oil drilling, water protections, the social cost of climate change, logging expansion, ocean policy, fracking safeguards and many others. In the Senate, Republicans fared somewhat better, with a collective score of 17 percent. Highest scores went to the delegations from Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont, all of which earned perfect scores on the 13 issues examined by the group. The lowest-scoring delegations came from Wyoming (0 percent), Oklahoma (4 percent), Idaho (8 percent), Kentucky (8 percent) and Utah (8 percent). Senate Democrats achieved a 92 percent score from the group. Senate votes examined by the LCV panel included relief for victims of Superstorm Sandy, confirmation of Gina McCarthy as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, taxing carbon emissions and clean water protections.

Environmental group says Alexandria can replace sewer by 2024; city disagrees

An engineering firm hired by an advocacy group has concluded that the city of Alexandria ought to be able to replace the biggest of its combined sewer systems that send overflow waste into the Potomac River by 2024. But the city’s top environmental official said the city needs more time than that, arguing that the firm failed to consider all the issues. The sparring comes while city government officials await a hoped-for amendment to a new state law from Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) that would give them more time to rebuild four sewers that periodically overflow waste and storm water into the river and a tributary. The General Assembly last month ordered the city to finish all construction by July 1, 2025. City officials say 2029 is the earliest deadline they can meet. NewFields, an Atlanta-based environmental engineering group, said in a March 10 letter to the Potomac Riverkeeper Network that the city’s schedule to study, plan and build just one of the sewer projects in North Old Town is “inordinately long.” The group argued that several planning studies should be able to go on simultaneously. Yon Lambert, Alexandria’s director of transportation and environmental services, said that conclusion overlooks the fact that Alexandria is dealing with multiple sites that will require planning, study and highly disruptive construction. “The city is very committed to addressing our [combined sewer] problem, but we just need to do so in a reasonable time frame,” Lambert said. “We don’t think it’s unreasonable.” “Other communities have taken 15 to 20 years” on these types of projects, Lambert said. “We’re saying give us nine to 12 years.” The governor has until March 23 to amend the General Assembly’s legislation on the matter. If he does, it would be up to legislators to react during their reconvened session in April.

Nonprofit seeks to revitalize Anacostia one blighted house at a time

Reeling from countless broken promises and botched deals, Anacostia’s real estate market for much of the past has moved in fits and starts. Now the Southeast Washington community seemingly is on a roll, with a variety of large-scale condominium, townhouse and commercial real estate projects transforming the landscape. As Anacostia joins the list of suddenly hot neighborhoods around the District, some residents are concerned that the city is concentrating too heavily on big development and not enough on blighted blocks where many old homes are left to rot. To address that issue, a local nonprofit is experimenting with a new approach that’s decidedly antithetical to the way redevelopment is unfolding in much of the community. Rather than tying development to profit, the group is happy to lose money. Rather than thinking big, it is focused on one home at a time. And rather than build new, it hopes to move the community forward by preserving its past. Officials at The L’Enfant Trust, a historic preservation organization based near Dupont Circle, bought two blighted properties in the Anacostia Historic District as part of a demonstration project. The trust acted as developer, renovating the houses and selling them at a loss — which is exactly what it intended. Officials say they want to replicate this approach throughout the community. “These are historic properties that cannot be razed by law but are too expensive to reclaim if profit is the sole criterion,” said Lauren McHale, the trust’s executive director. “Saving these irreplaceable historic treasures thus necessarily becomes a charitable effort.” Anacostia got its name from the Anacostan Indians, who settled on the banks of the river. Developed as one of the first “suburbs” of Washington, the community was designed to be home to working-class people employed at the nearby Navy Yard in the mid-1800s. Incorporated in 1854 as Uniontown, historic Anacostia initially housed predominantly white residents. When public housing complexes were built in the early 1960s, many white and middle-class residents left the area for the suburbs. Over the years, the largely black community has struggled with poverty, crime and a lack of development. But in recent years, development and redevelopment have blossomed in Anacostia and nearby Congress Heights. The projects include the Sheridan Station townhouses and condominiums, the Henson Ridge townhouses, the Uniontown Bar & Grill, the Anacostia Playhouse, Olivia’s Cupcakes, the Barry Farm Indoor Aquatics Facility and Ballou High School. More projects are in the works. Reunion Square along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE will add 1.6 million square feet of mixed-use buildings and include 124 market-rate and affordable apartments and six townhouses. The iconic “Anacostia” building on Good Hope Road is becoming a Walgreens. And the $45 million 11th Street Bridge Park will include a public plaza, amphitheater, environmental education center and other attractions traversing the Anacostia River. The development is pumping new life into the real estate market. For instance, the Anacostia Zip code of 20020 experienced the second-highest gain in the median price of homes sold in Washington in January to May 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. Prices jumped 28.20 percent, to $289,998 from $226,250, according to Rockville-based multiple-listing firm MRIS. Historic preservationists in some ways represent the lunatic fringe of the real estate business. If you live in a historic district, they are the ones who dictate what color you can paint your front door and what kinds of windows you have to use — which can infuriate a homeowner trying to make repairs and stay on budget. But if it weren’t for preservationists, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Old Town Alexandria and Dupont Circle would not have the historic charm for which they’re known. In the case of the demonstration projects in Anacostia, the trust invested more than $300,000 in two homes that are generating tax revenue and occupied by two families. The trust acquired and fixed up one distressed house on 14th Street SE for $112,000 and another on Maple View Place SE for $125,000. Cody and Anne McNeal eventually ended up on 14th Street, while another young couple, Stephan and Riser Gerber, bought the house on Maple View Place. “The trust rehabilitated two derelict, historic residential properties in Anacostia as a demonstration project to show the Anacostia community and the D.C. government that these vacant buildings could be rehabilitated quickly,” McHale said. The trust in 2014 floated the idea of repairing blighted houses at various community meetings in Anacostia, seeking suggestions on fix-up candidates. Dewey Sampson, 35, who attended a public meeting at the United Planning Organization on Good Hope Road hosted by local Advisory Neighborhood Commission representative Charles Wilson, raised his hand and suggested the house next door to his. “It was terrible. There were squatters living in there and possibly some illegal activity,” Sampson said. “It was okay six years ago when I moved in, but it just got worse and worse.” The trust took Sampson’s suggestion and bought the wood-frame house on 14th Street SE. Rehabilitating the properties fell to architect Jonathan Kuhn, 46, who is based in the District. A personal reference led the trust to Kuhn, who immediately had doubts about the project. “I was hesitant, because historic preservation is not my specialty,” Kuhn said. “I was wondering how they were going to do this, because it would have been much easier to bring a bulldozer over.” Bulldozers are kept at bay by the neighborhood’s historic designation, which makes it illegal to alter the basic facade of the homes, even when they are falling apart. The trust refers to a practice known as “demolition by neglect,” which spins properties down into a death spiral of “negative equity.” Kuhn worked with builder Thomas Archer Contracting, based in the District, to bring the houses up to current code while remaining true to the historic integrity of the homes. “We were directed to restore them in a historic manner, make them marketable, keep the small footprint with no additions and make the living space as best as we could,” Kuhn said. Both homes are relatively small, about 1,400 square feet, with three bedrooms and 1½ baths. There are no garages, wine cellars or in-law suites, but that didn’t matter to the McNeals. Cody, who is 33, works as an architect for Edens Development in Bethesda, Md.; Anne, 30, works for Deloitte as a consultant. The couple had been living in the Ellington building on U Street NW, sharing 620 square feet for 3½ years. After they got married, they began looking for a house in the District and lost deals on seven homes because of bidding wars and escalation clauses. “The market was a lot hotter than we anticipated,” Cody said. A connection through the Urban Land Institute alerted the couple to the trust’s homes in Anacostia, and they made the drive across the river to have a look at the one on 14th Street, which was still under construction. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any trepidation about the neighborhood,” said Cody, referring to crime. “I’ve been in D.C. for eight years and know that the connotations are generally not positive.” Despite their doubts, the couple tracked the progress of the house. When it came on the market, they walked through and said they were impressed by what they saw. “We could tell it was not a typical developer’s flip,” Cody said. “The objective was not to make a quick buck.” The couple took a leap of faith and put in a successful offer with escalating clauses that ended on the odd number of $377,000. The property was originally listed at $349,000. The home sits as a rectangle with a front porch, a Greek Revival-style pitched roof and simple window trim. There is a shallow crawl space underneath and a small, fenced-in back yard. The design team kept the basic room layout in place but widened the doorways, giving the ground floor an open-plan feel. The room closest to the street serves as a dining room with the living room placed in the middle and the kitchen in the back of the house. The floors are hardwood, the ceilings are high and the lighting is recessed. The kitchen features stainless-steel appliances, painted Shaker-style cabinets, a Silestone countertop and a subway-tile backsplash. The couple is from California, and they’ve already added a deck in the back yard. After paying for the houses and the renovations, the trust lost $138,741 on the house on 14th Street SE and $228,746 on the house on Maple View Place, which was arguably in worse shape. “The whole back of the house was just gone,” Kuhn said. “But you can see the entire city from the second floor.” Losing hundreds of thousands of dollars on a real estate deal is not sustainable, no matter how nice the view is. The trust supports itself from “cash contributions from individuals, foundations, businesses — and in-kind contributions from vendors and building contractors,” McHale said. “We are also seeking contributions of historic properties owned by the city, often acquired as a result of a tax foreclosure or a condemnation proceeding, buildings which after many years of city ownership and inaction are now nearing collapse.” She said she thinks the demonstration project can be ramped up and replicated. “Revolving funds or real estate redevelopment programs are a common tool used by many historic preservation organizations around the country,” McHale said. “Our HPR [Historic Properties Redevelopment Program] is D.C.’s first. There are many more buildings in need in Anacostia, specifically those owned and controlled by the city government.” The city’s role in the distressed-property business remains somewhat cloudy and is administered through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), which owns 151 vacant properties in the District, 69 of which are in Ward 8, and 10 of those fall into the Anacostia Historic District. Community development or the lack thereof in Anacostia is a bone of contention. ANC representative Wilson, 40, an attorney, said he is not happy with how the city is responding to blighted properties and the effects they are having on neighborhoods. “We have been pleading with the District government for years,” he said. “We have never had a local politician be a champion, the ward has never really had an advocate and the people making the decisions don’t live here.” Wilson and other stakeholders said they think the city is too focused on large-scale redevelopment projects while individual homes are left to rot. Polly Donaldson, who has a long history of working for affordable housing, runs the Anacostia-based Department of Housing and Community Development. She was appointed to that position by D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) in January 2015. “We’re not like some places, in that our property still has value,” Donaldson said in comparing D.C.’s problems with other major cities’ distressed properties. “We have to look at balancing the needs of a population that has been here for years against the needs of new arrivals.” Meanwhile, Anne McNeal says the trust’s project has been a win-win for the neighborhood and her family. She said the mostly welcoming vibes of the neighborhood have pleasantly surprised her. “There’s a sense of community here that we didn’t have in Northwest,” she said.

State fines CSX contractor in massive fish kill along northeast branch of Anacostia

Maryland fined a CSX contractor after a construction project to expand a railroad bridge contributed to the deaths of hundreds of fish along the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River in Prince George’s County, state officials said . More than 600 gizzard shad and white perch were found dead and dying over Memorial Day weekend by people traveling the Northeast Branch Trail, a cycling and walking trail that runs along the river. Shirley Contracting of Lorton, Va., agreed to pay a $12,350 penalty levied by the state Department of the Environment after an investigation determined that its construction project, near a Hyattsville neighborhood, violated several regulations and jeopardized marine life. “The alleged violations involved regulations relating to erosion and sediment control,” agency spokesman Jay Apperson said in a statement. “They also included a failure to perform the required self-monitoring inspection following a rain event and subsequent high river flow, which led to a significant fish kill.” Efforts to expand rail infrastructure in response to increased freight traffic have caused concern in communities such as the southeastern edge of Capitol Hill, where a CSX proposal to rebuild the Virginia Avenue tunnel has drawn opposition from residents. In the Hyattsville incident, CSX Transportation contracted with the construction company to broaden the railroad bridge to carry additional track, CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said. Workers erected cofferdams — temporary watertight structures designed to keep water out of the work site during the installation of concrete supports — and pumped the water out of the cofferdams, Doolittle said. Rainstorms in late May caused river levels to rise and spill over the cofferdams and into the construction site, Apperson said. Some fish trapped by the cofferdams died when water evaporated and oxygen levels became depleted, he said. Companies are required to inspect work sites and free fish caught in the structures, but several hours passed “before the contractor knew about” the situation, Doolittle said. Nancy Meyer, a county resident, said she was riding her bicycle on the trail May 25 when she stopped to look down at the construction site and saw people walking around with shovels. “I could see it, and I could smell it,” she said. “It was a disturbing scene.” She said she helped the group dig a channel for the fish to escape into the river. Some were saved, but many more died. Meyer later contacted Prince George’s officials and Shirley Construction about what had happened. “The worst part is that it was spawning season,” Meyer said. “We were there for hours, catching and dumping families of catfish, several large and baby fish, into the river.” As part of the settlement, Shirley Contracting will pay the fine with “no admissions of liability,” Apperson said. CSX, the permit holder, also has admitted no liability. “We take our obligation to the environment seriously,” Doolittle said. “When we learn we are not in compliance, we take actions to correct it as soon as possible. We reviewed the contracting process to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” Meyer, meanwhile, was satisfied that the site was cleaned up, but she expressed concern about CSX’s commitment to safeguarding the river as construction continues. “This is just an incredible resource, and I feel really strongly about the stewardship of this river,’ she said.

Could a new FBI headquarters in Greenbelt actually help the Anacostia River?

If the FBI moves its headquarters to Greenbelt it could have a profound effect on a tributary to the Anacostia River, a waterway federal and local officials have spent decades and millions of dollars trying to restore.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico But it may not be a negative effect. The 82-acre site in Greenbelt — one of three final locations being considered for a new FBI campus — is currently a parking lot for the Greenbelt Metro station, adjacent to a series of wetlands and Indian Creek, a polluted tributary of the Anacostia River.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico Nearby Narragansett Run, which also ultimately feeds the Anacostia, is also badly in need of restoration, having never recovered from sediment and pollution dumped there from mining operations. The existing Metro facilities, built in 1993 where some wetlands previously existed, have done to little to improve what’s sometimes referred to as the area’s “forgotten river.” Rain falling on the 3,700-space surface parking lot for the station, along with the pavement for a kiss-and-ride lot and bus depot, mostly runs into the nearby tributaries, adding pollutants and toxins. A wetland constructed to mitigate the Metro construction fizzled when plant and wildlife failed to take hold, leaving a mostly muddy pit. Whether or not the FBI relocates to Greenbelt, which may be decided next year, the prospect of adding 4 million square feet or more of new buildings on the site prompted consternation among some environmentalists and officials from the City of Greenbelt.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico But it also attracted officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, who see the project as a high-profile opportunity to model environmentally sustainable development and reducing storm water pollution from development near waterways. EPA officials joined the project’s developer, Garth E. Beall of Renard Development, along with engineers, environmentalists and local officials Tuesday at the University of Maryland to identify how the project could not only do as little harm as possible to its surroundings but possibly improve them.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico “Historically storm water infrastructure hasn’t had the same level of attention, for a number of reasons, as drinking water and waste water,” said Dominique Lueckenhoff, a deputy director in the EPA’s water protection division. “It’s something that people don’t tend to really see. It’s not like the big building that we see that’s the water treatment plant.” _[Related:How a Greenbelt attorney became an unlikely frontrunner to win the FBI headquarters]_    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico Storm water runoff is typically prevented by replacing impervious surfaces (such as concrete) with those that can absorb heavy rains without allowing run-off, such as rain gardens and so-called “green” roofs, or by installing collection facilities like underground cisterns that allow the water to be treated or filtered before it is released. Few of those options were employed in the past. “I think we all have to acknowledge that we’ve made a lot of mistakes in how we’ve developed the region…I think we have to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them as we move forward,” said Jeff Corbin, EPA senior adviser for the Chesapeake Bay and Anacostia River. At this point, Corbin said, “the watershed has its problems. We all know that. It’s one of the most urbanized watersheds in the nation. But if we achieve what we want to with this project, it’s going to have ramifications everywhere.” According to the development guidelines put forth by the federal government, whether the new FBI campus is in Greenbelt, Landover or Springfield it will be built to the “gold” standard under the LEED green buildings system.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico _[Related:Fairfax and Prince George’s compete for FBI headquarters]_    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico Beall, whose company has been trying to develop the Greenbelt site for more than a decade, said that with his $2 billion project he plans to take things much further, though it will not be cheap. Already his company has built a 4.3-acre wetland on the south end of the property at a cost of about $800,000. He said he has budgeted $6 million into the project to build an underground system of storm water management canisters developed by an Ohio-based company, Contech Engineered Solutions. Beall also said the forum, which included clean water champions such as Philippe Cousteau, Jr., grandson of the famous underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, would help him identify other technology opportunities.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico It’s possible that Metro would be willing to foot some of the cost to mitigate the effects of a planned new parking garage.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico “We’re at a crossroads of really working on the project and what I am trying to do is get the best people and the best minds,” Beall said. Who knows if the Anacostia will be clean enough to swim in a decade from now, a goal set by some cleanup advocates. But Beall said he had “absolutely no doubt” that his development will be better for the river than what’s there now.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico Follow Jonathan O’Connell on Twitter: @oconnellpostbiz    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico

An annual rice experiment on Anacostia River

“You scoop out mud and put the plant in, and squish it,” explained Amina Page. “It might look disgusting, but you kind of feel like a little kid again.” “We laughed so hard,” said Amina’s classmate Ella Norlen. “Amina and my friends were pretending to be mud monsters, going around hugging people.” The girls, both 10, and about a dozen classmates at Brent Elementary School on Capitol Hill were describing the scene in March when they became part of the hundreds of Rice Rangers organized every year by the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) in Bladensburg. AWS supplied ponchos to keep off the rain and plastic boots for the mud. With teachers and naturalists leading the way, the kids walked onto the mud at low tide where the Anacostia River comes into Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, not far from RFK Stadium. The kids slipped, and some fell, in the oozy mud as they dug holes to bury green shoots of duck corn, pickerel weed, arrow arum and lots of wild rice, the kind that covered the riverbanks and wetlands of Washington and most of the eastern United States long ago. Back then, the greens were food for the animals — as well as Native Americans — and the big beds of plants served as a natural cleaner for the river water. “It’s almost all gone today,” said AWS naturalist Jorge Montero. Since British explorer Captain John Smith first saw the Anacostia in June 1608, the wetlands have shrunk by 93 percent, and pollution has harmed both fish and the plants. A permanent population of geese threatens to destroy the native plants that remain, Montero said. “Which is why we plant new plants every year.” On October 12, the dry side of the story unfolds, Montero continued. “We take kids out in canoes and harvest the wild rice and other plants, which we’ll plant next spring,” he said. Montero and AWS will meet kids and parents at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park in the morning to go over safety instructions and plans for the harvest. Every kid and adult will buckle into a personal flotation device — just in case they fall into the river. Then as many as 20 AWS canoes will set out to scour the wetlands for the plants, especially the nine-foot-tall wild rice. “You bend it over like an antenna, and then pinch your fingers over the rice at the stem at the very top,” he explained. “The rice pops off like beads on a necklace.” If you can’t make the canoe harvest, the AWS has on-land kid activities at Bostwick House in Bladensburg. Rice and seeds harvested by the canoeists will spend the winter at a plant nursery on the grounds of the historic mansion. Kids can help move plants and seeds around — and get a bit muddy, too. ● **On YouTube** : Watch video of one of the Anacostia River planting sessions. **Where:** Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg **When:** October 12, 9 a.m. to noon. **What ages:** 7 and older **Cost:** Free! Registration is required. Sign up at www.anacostiaws.org/programs/education/rice-rangers. **More information:** Call 301-699-6200, Extension 109, or visit www.anacostiaws.org. ** — Raymond M. Lane  **

More to this river than a messy situation

The April 27 Metro article “Messy situation on popular Va. river,” with the sub-headline “Manure from chickens, cows enters Shenandoah, raising bacteria levels,” made a statement. Unfortunately, it didn’t tell the whole story. The article failed to cover the decades of work and millions of dollars invested by farmers and taxpayers to reduce agricultural pollution. Farmers have voluntarily fenced cattle out of streams. They have taken up practices that reduce fertilizer runoff and sediment erosion. Local soil and water conservation districts, federal agencies and nonprofit organizations work hard to support and advance these efforts. Progress depends in large part on the coordinated restoration effort that is housed in the federal Chesapeake Bay Program. Now is the time for government agencies, conservation groups, farmers and the agriculture industry to work together to address this situation. It requires commitment at every level and federal leadership to maintain the momentum. ****John Eckman** , Woodstock, Va.** _The writer is the executive director of Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River._ ****Kim Woodwell** , Woodstock, Va.** _The writer is the executive director of the Shenandoah Forum._

D.C. losing black residents west of the Anacostia, census data show

It’s been about five years since the District, with its dwindling black majority, could claim to be “Chocolate City.” Census data from 2015 show that about 48 percent of D.C. residents are black. Now, a new analysis of that data says African Americans in the District increasingly live east of the Anacostia River, where poverty is at higher levels than it was before the Great Recession. The same week the White House said burdensome zoning regulations limited available affordable housing across the country, the numbers reinforced a view of a rapidly gentrifying city that has not brought prosperity to everyone. “The long-term effects of racism and segregation played out,” said Ed Lazere, executive director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, which researches budget issues in the District and completed the analysis. “African Americans were pushed to neighborhoods with less economic opportunity.” The analysis showed that fewer African Americans live west of the Anacostia than before the recession. Just 33 percent of D.C. residents in those wealthier parts of the city are black. Meanwhile, 92 percent of residents east of the river are black, and 47 percent of the District’s black population lives there — an increase from 2007, when just 41 percent did. Poverty east of the river is also on the rise. In 2015, 33 percent of residents living there lived in poverty, an increase from 27 percent in 2007. And though median income for the District as a whole is up, median income for those living east of the river is still $34,000, as it was almost 10 years ago. Lazere said the city’s attempts to protect residents from the downside of economic growth, particularly the loss of affordable housing, were a “huge failure.” “I think for sure our leaders could have and should have predicted that Metro would spur development and raise housing prices,” he said, speaking of the growth of the Green Line. “We could and should have been more proactive.” The analysis recommended preserving affordable housing west of the river using ideas presented by the Housing Preservation Strike Force under Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), and praised development such as the 11th Street Bridge Park that address the need for affordable housing.

D.C. news briefs

The D.C. Department of Transportation recently designated five bike routes on the east side of the District. The routes total more than 20 miles and provide on-street links among the Metropolitan Branch Trail, the Marvin Gaye Trail, the Oxon Run Trail, the Anacostia River Trail System and the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System in Prince George’s County. The department chose the routes to provide more bicycle facilities in Wards 7 and 8, offer access to city trails, improve mobility from east of the river to downtown and update signs. For information, go to www.ddot.dc.gov/bikes. Metro TeenAIDS, a nonprofit community health organization, is offering free, confidential HIV/AIDS testing and counseling at D.C. public libraries for city residents, including teenagers. Tests are available from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the second Mondays at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW; the second Tuesdays at the Dorothy I. Height/Benning Neighborhood Library, 3935 Benning Rd. NE; and the third Thursdays at Anacostia Neighborhood Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. For information, visit www.metroteenaids.org. The nonprofit Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation is holding a video contest to find the caregiver of a wounded service member or veteran for its Hero at Home award. To enter, contestants must upload a one- to two-minute video on YouTube and enter its URL at www.penfedfoundation.org by April 12. The caregiver depicted in the most compelling video will receive an award during a May 24 gala at the Ritz Carlton, 3100 South St. NW. The foundation will choose five finalists for the public to vote on from April 16 to 22. The winner will be announced April 23. The Pendragwn Youth Film Festival, a competition for budding filmmakers 11 to 18, will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Four awards will be given at the free festival. Fifteen short films in four categories will be screened. For information, go to www.pendragwn   youthfilmfest.org or call 202-546-0065. **— Compiled by Terence McArdle**

Preservation group files lawsuit to block power lines near Jamestown

A nonprofit preservation group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to try to halt the electrical transmission line planned for across the James River near Jamestown, the site of the historic settlement. Dominion Energy won final federal approval for the project last week, which will feature 17 towers, some nearly 300 feet in height, marching across the river. The James City County Board of Supervisors approved a switching station for the project earlier this week. Historic preservationists have opposed the project on the grounds that it will alter a landscape that has changed little since Capt. John Smith and the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in America more than 400 years ago. “If we allow this to happen to one of America’s most important historic areas, what’s next for our other national parks?” said Theresa Pierno, chief executive of the National Parks Conservation Association, which filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington. “We will continue to fight in court to ensure that reckless development does not destroy this treasured and historic area.” Dominion says the towers will not be visible from the historic fort on Jamestown Island, but they will be just downstream near Carter’s Grove Plantation in an area thick with history. Environmentalists also have warned that the crossing will threaten an endangered population of sturgeon that spawn in that area of the river. But the utility has said the 500,000-volt line is necessary to ensure reliable power for the Virginia Peninsula region as two coal-fired plants in Yorktown are phased out because of environmental standards. The Corps of Engineers considered alternatives, including digging the line under the river, but found the crossing to be the best option. “The Army Corps and other approving agencies followed the law and based their permitting decisions on sound legal basis after considerable study and input from the public and various other constituents,” Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson said in an email. “This has been one of the most heavily scrutinized infrastructure projects in the history of Virginia and any further delay in its construction will only put at greater risk our ability to keep the lights on in the Peninsula.” The conservation group said the Corps failed to conduct a full environmental impact statement and is asking the court to halt the project until alternatives are given more scrutiny. A spokesman for the Army Corps said the agency “is unable to comment on matters in litigation.”

D.C. news in brief

D.C. Water recently released its 2012 Drinking Water Quality Report, which includes information on regulated and unregulated contaminants and how water in the District compares with federal standards for water quality. More than 5,600 water samples were taken from hydrants, commercial buildings and household taps in the District. According to the report, the District’s water surpasses the Environmental Protection Agency standards for drinking water. The utility maintains about 1,300 miles of pipe and provides drinking water to more than 600,000 residents and businesses in the Washington area. For information, go to www.dcwater.com or call 202-612-3440. The D.C. Preservation League, a nonprofit organization that works to protect historic sites, is accepting nominations for its 2012 list of the Most Endangered Places in Washington. Nomination forms are at www.dcpreservation.org and must be submitted by Sept. 4. Selections will be announced in October. The sites are chosen by the board of trustees of the Preservation League. Criteria include the severity of the threat, whether through demolition, neglect or inappropriate alteration. The list can include buildings, parks and other landscaped areas or scenic vistas. For information, contact the league at 202-783-5144 or info@dcpreservation.org. Beginning in the fall, the National Philharmonic will partner with William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts, 705 Edgewood St. NE, to provide music education at the school. Students will receive daily music instruction from the orchestra’s musicians and music teachers, including daily Suzuki-based violin instruction for all kindergarten through second-grade students. Music students in grades six through eight will have two-hour classes customized for their individual projects. In addition to the orchestra, the school has partnered with Shakespeare Theatre and the Kirov Academy of Ballet to provide instruction in theater and dance. All of these services will be free to Doar school families. The school serves approximately 500 students. For information, go to www.wedjschool.us. Adam Tenner, executive director for the nonprofit community health group Metro TeenAIDS, recently received the 2012 Ryan White Award for HIV/AIDS educational work from the National Education Association Health Information Network. Tenner and Metro TeenAIDS have been involved in HIV/AIDS counseling and education among young people in the District for more than 20 years. The group provides HIV testing services at several clinics in the city and through a Friday-night van outreach to youth on the streets. They also host Freestyle, a drop-in center, from 4 to 8 p.m. weeknights at 651 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Freestyle offers peer support and educational activities about HIV prevention, sexual health and substance abuse prevention. For information, go to www.metroteenaids.org. The award is named for White, a hemophiliac who received an AIDS diagnosis in 1984, at age 13. White spent the remaining five years of his life combating prejudice against people living with AIDS. The D.C. Office of Police Complaints has launched a Facebook page featuring news pertaining to police oversight in the District and nationally. Updates on the page will include community outreach events, policy recommendations, annual reports, board meeting dates and agency job listings. To view the page, go to www.facebook.com/officeofpolicecomplaints. Click ‘Like” to receive updates. Three District-based nonprofit organizations have received AmeriCorps grants totaling more than $2 million from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Serve DC, the city agency for volunteer work, will distribute the funds to the three organizations. The agency will also announce $600,000 in formula-funding grants this month. City Year Washington, D.C., which offers a year of full-time service to AmeriCorps members ages 17 to 24, will receive $1.49 million. Latin American Youth Center, which runs after-school programs for students and provides health education, will receive $279,296. Jumpstart for Young Children, which provides children ages 3 to 5 in the District who are from low-income communities with one-on-one tutoring and literacy development, will receive $479,063. For information, go to serve.dc.gov. ** — Compiled by Terence McArdle  **

Trump’s unsupported claim he has ‘received awards on the environment’

One of Donald Trump’s first proposals as president is to help businesses by cutting regulations by 75 percent. Trump cited environmental regulations as an example during a meeting with business leaders, but claimed he was a “very big person” on the environment who has “received awards on the environment.”  Are there any facts to support this claim to environmental fame? The short answer is: No. Media outlets and environmental groups have tried to find evidence of this claim since 2011 but have come up short. We could not readily find references to Trump’s environmental awards in news coverage over the past 10 years. We checked with the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sierra Club, and none had any record of Trump’s environmental awards.          But New Jersey Audubon rejected Russo’s claim: “NJ Audubon never presented an award to Donald Trump, Trump National nor any of its employees, nor did NJ Audubon apply for one on his behalf,” spokesman Jonathan Jaffe said. Russo did not respond to repeated requests for clarification. The White House did not respond to our request for clarification.   The evidence is quite slim for Trump’s claim that he has “received awards on the environment.” We know of one award by the Metropolitan Golf Association, given in 2007 to his golf course in Bedminster, N.J. The golf course was later cited for environmental violations. The White House pointed us to a self-published book by Trump’s former environmental consultant. The only award mentioned in that book was from New Jersey Audubon — but the group denied it ever gave an award to Trump, the Trump National club in Bedminster or any of its employees.

●●●The Misfits feature in the Aug. 22 Local Living section, about fitness opportunities on and along the Anacostia River, incorrectly said that the 11th Street Bridge project is set to be completed in 2017. The correct target year is 2015. ● The Washington Post is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can: **E-mail:** corrections@washpost.com. **Call:** 202-334-6000, and ask to be connected to the desk involved — National, Foreign, Metro, Style, Sports, Business or any of the weekly sections. Comments can be directed to The Post’s reader advocate, who can be reached at 202-334-7582 or readers@washpost.com. The Washington Post is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can: **E-mail:** corrections@washpost.com. **Call:** 202-334-6000, and ask to be connected to the desk involved — National, Foreign, Metro, Style, Sports, Business or any of the weekly sections. The ombudsman, who acts as the readers’ representative, can be reached by calling 202-334-7582 or e-mailing ombudsman@washpost.com. **** The Washington Post is committed to correcting errors that appear in the newspaper. Those interested in contacting the paper for that purpose can: **E-mail:** corrections@washpost.com. **Call:** 202-334-6000, and ask to be connected to the desk involved — National, Foreign, Metro, Style, Sports, Business or any of the weekly sections. The ombudsman, who acts as the readers’ representative, can be reached by calling 202-334-7582 or e-mailing ombudsman@washpost.com. ****

Bay cleanup plan has environmental groups at odds

For more than a decade, the Potomac Riverkeeper organization has been that ant that tried to move a rubber tree plant, taking on large corporate polluters in high hopes of one day cleaning the Chesapeake Bay. But recently, in an unlikely twist, the scrappy Potomac Riverkeeper backed away from a fight. Although it believes a controversial part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to clean up the bay will actually lead to more pollution, it abandoned a small coalition of environmentalists that had threatened to sue the EPA. “We do not have the resources to get involved with this particular lawsuit,” said the group’s leader, Ed Merrifield. It was responding to a threat — not from a corporation, its usual foe, but a friend. The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, which has donated millions of dollars to Riverkeeper groups over the years, threatened to withdraw future funding if they sued. Other Riverkeeper groups also dropped legal action. It was a clear sign that environmental groups have not only squared off against the American Farm Bureau Federation, which has filed a federal lawsuit to stop the largest bay cleanup plan in history, but also each other, in the 16 months since the EPA approved the first state proposals to reduce pollution in the watershed. The stakes are huge. The most ardent backers of the EPA’s aggressive new pollution diet — the Choose Clean Water Coalition of 230 groups, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council — view it as the Chesapeake’s last hope. If it unravels because of a legal challenge, or lack of support from the states charged with implementing the cleanup, it might take 10 years to draft another plan to stop millions of tons of pollution from flowing into the bay, according to the bay foundation. From the bay foundation’s perspective, a challenge to the EPA’s authority by the group’s allies is not much different from the challenge being heard in a Pennsylvania court by its foes — the farm, pesticide, pork and home-builder lobbies that stand against the strict regulations of the pollution diet. Riverkeeper groups also want a clean bay, but some could not stomach one of EPA’s methods, a program that would turn the Chesapeake’s waters into an open marketplace for farmers and corporations that create pollution. Under a nutrient trading program, farmers who exceed pollution reduction goals set by the EPA would receive credits they could sell to corporations such as coal-fired power plants that fail to reach their own reduction goals. In theory, the program would help farmers pay for expensive crop covers and buffers to soak up rain. Storm runoff from farms is a major problem because it carries nitrogen from fertilizers and phosphorus from animal waste into streams and rivers that flow to the bay. The pollution contributes to oxygen-depleted “dead zones” that smother oysters, crabs, mussels and other marine life in the nation’s largest estuary. But Riverkeeper group members and some other environmentalists say that nutrient trading is a shell game that will allow more pollution to creep into the bay. They say that because of lax farm regulations in bay watershed states — Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York — the EPA would have no sure way of knowing whether farmers have met pollution reduction goals. The comprehensive plan is at a key stage. At the end of March, states submitted final proposals on how they would implement their strategies to reduce pollution in coming years. With the threatened lawsuit, lawyers at two environmental groups, Food and Water Justice and Earthjustice, along with some Riverkeeper groups, sought to surgically remove nutrient trading from the comprehensive plan. “People were very concerned that one of our partner organizations would sue” in a federal court, said Will Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Homebuilders and others challenged the EPA’s authority in a lawsuit last year, saying that the agency’s assessment of pollution is based on faulty science and that only states have the power to enforce a cleanup. “We heard from a number of attorneys that when you have two pieces of federal litigation both supporting the same thing . . . they join together, and we thought that would have been terrible,” Baker said. A solidarity meeting scheduled for March was abandoned, at least one environmentalist said, because people were screaming at a mediator. Not true, Baker said: “I have never been in any meeting about this topic where people have raised their voices.” Shouting was not necessary, because money did the talking, said a member of a Riverkeeper group. Keith Campbell, founder of the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, sits on the board of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which discussed the legal threat. About two months ago, members of Riverkeeper groups gathered at the foundation in Annapolis for an important word from their sponsor. According to a member who attended the meeting, the foundation’s director, Verna Harrison, reminded them that the foundation had donated $4 million to their causes over the years and then issued an ultimatum. “If you challenge nutrient trading, you’re done. You won’t be funded by us anymore,” said the Riverkeeper member, recalling Harrison’s words. The member declined to be named, fearing a funding cut. Merrifield of Potomac Riverkeeper also declined to comment on the dispute. Harrison declined to comment on her discussions with Riverkeeper activists. In a statement, Campbell Foundation President Samantha Campbell said: “When we find a fundamental disconnect between the principles that drive our mission and the work of a potential grant recipient, we take a number of steps to inform all parties on the priority areas that are currently being considered for funding.” Scott Edwards, co-director of Food and Water Justice, which worked with Earthjustice to draft the lawsuit, said, “I’ve been at this for years and years, and I’ve never seen this attempt to try to stop a group for asserting its position.” Without its partners, Food and Water Justice, an arm of Food and Water Watch, is trying, so far in vain, to revive the lawsuit. “You expect this from industry; you don’t expect it from your friends,” Edwards said.

Is Clarksburg on the verge of another development disaster?

The pattern of feckless inattention that, in 2005, resulted in more than 400 development violations in Clarksburg is about to be repeated. This time it imperils one of the last unspoiled creeks in Montgomery County — Ten Mile Creek — with serious consequences for the whole region. Ten Mile Creek runs steady, clean and cold. It harbors a greater abundance and diversity of life — from salamanders to stoneflies — than other streams in the region. It empties into Little Seneca Lake, the emergency water supply reservoir for metropolitan Washington via the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s intake on the Potomac River. But its high water quality is threatened by two major development projects that have gathered momentum in the absence of action by the Montgomery County Council to protect the creek, now pending for more than two years. When the council approved the Clarksburg master plan in 1994, it waffled on protection of Ten Mile Creek. Proclaiming the stream critical, it placed the western side of the watershed in the county’s Agricultural Reserve, safeguarding the farms and forests that had occupied it for generations. The eastern side was designated for possible development, but recognizing that splitting a sensitive watershed up the middle would be hydrologically challenging, the council postponed decisions on extending a sewer service up the stream valley and rezoning for higher densities until studies determined whether the best stormwater management practices required for development in the Little Seneca watershed could adequately protect the stream. Those studies, completed in 2009, concluded they could not. The Montgomery County Planning Board (I was chairman at the time) and the County Department of Environmental Protection recommended that a master plan amendment be prepared to designate more appropriate land uses and resource protection measures for the eastern watershed. Instead, the council appointed an Ad Hoc Water Quality Working Group to propose a course of action. That group reported in 2010. The majority recommended a master plan amendment to reduce densities on land between the stream and Interstate 270 and require a science-based cap on impervious surfaces for the entire watershed, which includes land in the headwaters east of I-270. In the meantime, however, two development proposals for land in the headwaters are being dangled before the Clarksburg community. They would bring more than a thousand housing units and a half-million square feet of commercial space into the headwaters of Ten Mile Creek. The scale and footprint of these projects, along with the sewer lines to serve them, will destroy this sensitive watershed. Proponents of development in the Ten Mile Creek watershed apparently hope that local eagerness for a commercial district will overcome any sense of responsibility for protecting the stream and that decay of official memory will allow town center developers off the hook on which they have placed themselves. This insult to the environment should not be added to Clarksburg’s manifold injuries. The council should authorize the Planning Board to prepare a master plan amendment that recognizes the findings of the watershed studies, proposes policies that can protect the Ten Mile Creek watershed and establishes science-based caps on impervious surfaces in the watershed — especially in its headwaters. The board should also take measures to achieve development of the approved Clarksburg Town Center’s community and market center. Combining rural land and stream protection with effective density levels and amenities in its town center would make Clarksburg the smart-growth model the master plan intended it to be. The council needs to act now. Key votes are due in October, and the clock is ticking. The writer was chairman of the Montgomery County Planning Board from 1972 to 1981 and 2006 to 2010. ****

The effects of a new natural gas pipeline in Virginia

The Feb. 7 Metro article “The dilemmas of development” described how the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline would adversely change lives and communities in Virginia and West Virginia, but it understated the ecological devastation and economic harm that would result. A new study claims that water supplies of many communities along the pipeline route would be seriously impaired. That impact would be felt elsewhere. The pipeline would disturb the sensitive, steep-mountain headwater areas of several river systems. For instance, in Highland County, Va., where tributaries of both the Potomac and James rivers begin, the potential for significant erosion to pollute rivers is more than 94 percent. The purported benefits cited by pipeline proponents do not consider the economic losses that could occur. A soon-to-be-released study from my organization finds that negative financial impacts in just four Virginia counties would exceed the cost of the entire pipeline. There are growing questions of whether and how many new pipelines are needed, given the current and foreseeable economics of the natural gas industry. A 2015 Energy Department study found that the existing pipeline infrastructure was being underused. If new pipelines are built, they should be safe and needed. The Atlantic Coast pipeline, as proposed, doesn’t meet either test. ****Lewis Freeman** , Monterey, Va.** The writer is chairman and executive director of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance. **We appreciate the concerns of landowners** along the route of the proposed Atlantic Coast pipeline, but the article “ The dilemmas of development” ignored much that could help allay those concerns and diminished the need for the project and efforts taken to minimized the project’s impact. We have adjusted the proposed route not “a few times” but hundreds of times, often at the request of landowners, to find the best path. We are documenting water resources and taking other measures to protect natural resources. The article failed to report on two major natural gas pipelines in nearby communities that have operated safely for decades. These pipelines have coexisted peacefully alongside farms, award-winning vineyards and residential areas. Far from inhibiting economic growth, the pipelines pass underneath shopping center parking lots and between new homes. Public utilities need the Atlantic Coast pipeline to meet the growing demand for clean, affordable energy. It is essential to lowering carbon emissions and to meeting the growing residential and industrial demand for natural gas in Hampton Roads and eastern North Carolina, where natural gas can be in short supply in the winter. Our company and our public utility partners welcome a robust dialogue about this project. ****Leslie Hartz** , Richmond** The writer is vice president of pipeline construction for Dominion Energy.

A W.Va. spill reveals outdated chemical safety laws

WHY DID West Virginia officials have to order 300,000 people to give up tap water in and around Charleston, the state capital, for days? In part because they didn’t know the health risks associated with 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, the chemical that spilled from riverside storage tanks and into the water supply last week. And they still don’t, according to an Environmental Defense Fund analysis, because information on its risks to humans is amazingly scant. Americans see pictures of brown, pollution-packed air in Beijing or red, chemical-saturated rivers in Hungary and may assume that the time of such spectacular environmental dangers has passed in the United States. That’s in large part because of regulations from the last century that protect the air and water against the riskiest sorts of pollution. But those laws sometimes fail because they aren’t perfect or because they aren’t perfectly applied. The West Virginia water emergency reflects both. According to the state’s environmental chief, the storage plant dates to 1938, a time before modern environmental regulation. A downstream water treatment plant was old, too. Some rudimentary federal reporting and permitting rules covered the chemical storage site. Yet federal and state oversight were inadequate. The site was last inspected in 1991 . In fact, a lot of environmental protection depends on state officials. Though environmentalists say that neighboring Maryland could use more personnel, they report that the state is stronger in its application of federal programs. Maryland officials say they inspect industrial facilities about once a year and more often after a violation is found. Virginia environmental officials say that chemical storage sites in the commonwealth are subject to strong building codes, but local fire officers are responsible for enforcement. The state’s Health Department says that it thoroughly examines upstream contamination risks when siting drinking water facilities. Yet, for existing ones, officials seem to rely on procedures to rapidly shut off water intake after spills have been reported. In West Virginia, state officials weren’t notified and the water wasn’t shut off in time. Federal requirements, meanwhile, are spotty. Some quantities of some chemicals trigger notification requirements. But for many chemicals in regular use, federal law does not require safety data. That’s because the governing law, passed in 1976, presumed that chemicals in use at the time were safe. Bizarrely, to order testing on chemicals grandfathered in, the Environmental Protection Agency must offer evidence that they aren’t safe in an onerous bureaucratic process. A bipartisan chemical safety reform bill on the table in Congress would improve matters, but it hasn’t yet moved. It should. A combination of state regulators using a bit of sense — like asking about an old tank farm next to a drinking water facility — and better federal law — like requiring more information on chemical safety — might have prevented or limited the damage and dislocation the people of Charleston have seen. **Read more about this topic:** The Post’s View: Can China escape its choking air pollution?

The Potomac needs the protection the Clean Water Act provides

Regarding the July 9 editorial “Clear rules for clean water”: Having grown up in Great Falls, the Potomac River has always been important to me. I love to spend days walking along the river and watching kayakers attempt the falls, though I’ve never dared to do it. Unfortunately, loopholes in the Clean Water Act have put the Potomac River at risk. Fifty-seven percent of streams in Virginia and 59 percent in Maryland are vulnerable to toxic pollution; many of them feed into the Potomac. The river provides drinking water for me and more than four million others. We need to close these loopholes. The Environmental Protection Agency’s new plan would do just that. By restoring Clean Water Act protections to these streams, this plan can protect the Potomac. I urge the EPA to finalize its rule, and restore Clean Water Act protections to all of Virginia’s waterways. ****Erin Hodge** , Great Falls**

D.C. news in brief

George Washington University is having STEMosphere, a free exhibition on STEM (science, technology, education and math) education, for families from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Charles E. Smith Center, 600 22nd St. NW. The event will include more than 30 exhibits designed to stimulate interest in the sciences among children and families. The exhibits will include topics such as Lego robotics, a Mars rover construction, clay modeling, moving glaciers and human brains vs. animal brains. To register, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/stemosphere-washington-dc- registration-10488584639. The District Department of Transportation have begun a signal optimization project to enhance traffic signal timing patterns at nearly 200 intersections in wards 6, 7 and 8. The project affects areas south and east of the Anacostia River, including roadways such as Pennsylvania Avenue, East Capitol Street, Minnesota Avenue, Alabama Avenue, Benning Road and Suitland Parkway, and areas around Nationals Park and along the M Street and South Capitol Street corridors. DDOT will be monitoring and making adjustments to traffic signal timing throughout this month. Motorists should be cautious in these areas as drivers become acclimated to the new signal timing patterns. Project goals include making signals more pedestrian friendly, improving bus running times and overall traffic flow, and reducing vehicular traffic emissions. For information, go to ddot.dc.gov. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities is seeking musicians and dancers for its annual Dance DC Festival in August. The festival showcases a variety of folk and traditional dance styles and music. Previous festivals have included more than 2,000 dancers. Performance groups must have at least one group member from the District and must perform the repertoires for which they were invited. A standard repertoire for dancers consists of 10 minutes of performance time. Instructors are expected to provide an hour of interactive dance instruction. Technical specifications must be provided in advance. Performance lengths are subject to change by festival organizers. The application deadline is March 21. To apply, go to dcarts.dc.gov/page/dance-dc-festival. For information, call 202-724-5613 or e-mail ebony.blanks@dc.gov. The D.C. Department of Transportation recently published the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Transportation Master Plan 2014 Update, a tool for managing transportation infrastructure projects near and crossing the river in wards 5, 6, 7 and 8. The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) is a 30-year, $10 billion series of projects to redevelop the waterfront of the Anacostia River. The master plan organizes more than 30 transportation studies and projects within the AWI program area to ensure they are designed and constructed in coordination with each other. The plan includes a section on the AWI program history, information about how DDOT develops and prioritizes its projects and detailed descriptions of major projects within the seven corridors that make up the AWI area. For information, go to ddot.dc.gov. The nonprofit food pantry and medical and vocational charity So Others Might Eat will have two Empty Bowl fundraisers from 6 to 8 p.m., on March 18 at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 3630 Quesada St. NW, and March 19 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 3304 Washington Blvd., Arlington County. Admission is $20. Soup will be served, and guests will receive a hand-crafted bowl from the Corcoran College of Art and Design or from local potters. Proceeds go toward meals for homeless D.C. residents. For information, go to www.some.org; call 202-797-8806, Ext. 1129; or e-mail ifeigenbaum@some.org. **— Compiled by Terence McArdle**

D.C. news in brief

The D.C Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are holding a public meeting on the environmental assessment for the Union Station to Georgetown Transportation Improvements Project from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the L’Enfant Map Room, Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square, 801 K St. NW. The meeting is an opportunity for the public to comment on the project and give their views on transportation alternatives (such as streetcar, vehicular, transit, bicycle and pedestrian) being considered in the corridor. The assessment is being prepared as required by the National Environmental Policy Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. For information, go to unionstationtogeorgetown.com or call 202-671-1595. The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation will host Winter Wondercamp, a day-long activity camp for children ages 6 to 12 at parks throughout the city. The department is operating one camp session this winter on the following dates: Dec. 22; Dec. 23; Dec. 29; Dec. 30; and Jan. 2. Camp is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Before- and after-camp care from 8 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. is available. The cost is $40 per child, due at registration. There is an additional $10 fee for before- or after-camp care. For information, camp locations or to register, go to www.dpr.dc.gov, e-mail dpr.camps@dc.gov or call 202-671-0372. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation needs volunteers to help with its annual drive, which ends Dec. 14. Helpers are needed to sort toys from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To volunteer, go to anacostia-dc.toysfortots.org . The toy drive, a national nonprofit charity operated by U.S. Marine Corps reservists, distributes holiday gifts to children from low-income families. The program, which has operated annually since 1947, welcomes new, unwrapped toys and cash donations. Visit www.toysfortots.org. The Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs is holding a holiday toy drive through next Friday for underprivileged children ages 3 to 15 in the District’s Asian-Pacific Islander community. The drive is headquartered at the Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs office, 441 Fourth St. NW, Suite 721. Toys will be distributed at the office’s end-of-the-year celebration Dec. 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. To register a child to receive a toy, call 202-727-3120 or go to apia.dc.gov by Monday. The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation is holding a winter coat drive for the needy. Coats can be dropped off at the Guy Mason Recreation Center, 3600 Calvert St. NW, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 3. **— Compiled by Terence McArdle**

Paddle the Potomac event tries to show young professionals the joys of the river

Dan Schiff can see the Potomac River from his workplace in Rosslyn, and each time he thinks, “It’s beautiful.” Under the summer sun, it is silver, sparkling with light, like some kind of jewel. But conservationists say that for too many, that jewel is like the Hope Diamond, the fabled look-but-don’t-touch heirloom that brings bad luck, something to be feared. For example, Schiff, 31, said he adored the Potomac’s good looks but never got close enough to touch it during his seven years in the District. That changed last week. Schiff joined about 200 other young professionals at an event called Paddle the Potomac, where many of them climbed into kayaks or stepped onto paddle boards and ventured out on the river for the first time. The idea of the Paddle, sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association and the Potomac Conservancy, was to make the river more relevant to young people. The hope was that some of them would become activists who will fight to protect it from such defilement as the sewage overflow that caused portions of the river to smell during their outing, or the garbage that rain swept from the streets to the Potomac the previous day. Although the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments reports steady improvement in the river’s water quality, the Potomac is troubled. It’s where scientists discovered male smallmouth bass with female sex organs. It’s not considered safe to swim in the water after heavy rains because of sewage overflows that leave high levels of bacteria. Still, the idea was to try to get people talking about their experience on the river at work the next day so that maybe — just maybe — employers would come to see the Potomac, the Anacostia River, Rock Creek Park and Washington’s other open spaces as selling points to attract young workers. “You only care about what you connect to,” Hedrick Belin, president of the conservancy, said as he stood near Key Bridge at the river’s edge. “At this event . . . we’re connecting young professionals to a resource in their own back yard.” Belin and organizers at the conservation association point to a trend that the U.S. Parks and Forest services picked up on years ago. “Our children and young adults seem to have lost touch with nature and history to an unprecedented degree,” a 2009 report by the National Parks Second Century Commission said. “Perhaps the only thing we know for sure is that we must think and act in new ways.” At the nation’s most popular park, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which straddles the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee, the age of summer visitors 61 and over shot from 10 percent to nearly 20 percent between 1996 and 2008. In California’s Death Valley, nearly half of visitors to the national parks in 2010 were 46 to 65, according to the Parks Service. And at Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, the average visitor in 2011 was 54, a research division at the University of Montana determined. Meanwhile, a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study found that kids age 8 to 18 spend nearly eight hours a day watching some form of media with a cellphone, laptop or TV. ****“There are times when it seems as if the national parks have never been more passé than in the age of the iPhone,” National Parks DirectorJonathan Jarvis said in 2011. “The parks must compete with high speed, high resolution entertainment with instant access to seemingly everything in the blink of an eye.” Ed Stierli, a field representative for the conservation association, helped developed the idea for Paddle the Potomac and reached out to the District’s 20- and 30-somethings on a platform they’re glued to — social media. “It didn’t take long for this event to get out,” Stierli said. “We sold out of the first 100 tickets in four hours. We made it really low-cost [$10]. Eventually, we sold more than 200 tickets.” At the Key Bridge Boathouse, participants lined up to board kayaks, orange-tipped paddles jutting in the air like the spears. Belin gave a pep talk. “Who knows the source of your drinking water?” he bellowed from atop a picnic table. The answer: the Potomac, 487 million gallons used daily. That answer had half the boaters turning to each other, mouthing, “What? I didn’t know.” One guy dropped his head and said, “Gross.” Because most were kayaking novices, a boathouse employee barked out a few helpful instructions. “Don’t go too far! Don’t get in the path of motorboats! They are bigger than you!” The victor in any collision was assured. Out on the river, Kelly Tek, 30, of the District, laughed it up with friend Nicole Fischer, 31, of Arlington. Fischer, who has lived in the area for about a year, said she never would have considered going out if one of her pals hadn’t heard of Paddle the Potomac and suggested it. “I was intrigued,” Fischer said. “It was fun. It was a really good workout. It was very relaxing.” Hopefully, the organizers said, she will post that on Twitter. Better yet, with a picture. But maybe leave this out: “I also noticed the water looked filthy,” Fischer said. “It isn’t clear, and there was garbage out there. It was disconcerting that our drinking water comes from here.” Schiff sat nearby, back against a bench, legs crossed after a 45-minute paddle. “It’s a valuable resource,” he said of the Potomac, definitely worth protecting. “It’s a nice break from urban life, if just for a little bit.” Joy Oakes, the conservation association’s Mid-Atlantic region director, said the young participants had much to learn, and she wasn’t talking only about kayaking. Soon they will be parents, if they’re not already, and they should know this: “What parks do is allow parents to wear children out,” she said. “The original exercise machine is the great outdoors. “You tend to take for granted what’s in your back yard,” Oakes said. Near the river’s edge, where baptisms are known to happen, she started to preach. “It’s all about quality of life.”

New segment of Anacostia Riverwalk Trail expands the region’s trail network

A four-mile segment of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, which was a missing link in a network of 60 miles of trail between the District and Maryland, officially opened today. The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Segment connects Benning Road in the District with the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, creating a much more pleasant and safe route for cyclists who commute between Prince George’s County and the District.  The trail offers recreational access to the river and its natural resources. “This trail will mean big things for the Washington region,” said Katie Harris, a trail coordinator with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. It’s only four miles, but it’s a vital connector to the 15 existing miles of [trail] in D.C. and to over 40 miles of trails in Prince George’s County.” For bike commuters the new segment of trail will shorten travel times by as much as 30 minutes, while giving them the protection to ride off the road. The trail runs along the Anacostia River, passing through developed and undeveloped areas. Within the District, the trail is part of a larger 28-mile system provides access to 16 waterfront communities including Southwest Waterfront, Nationals Park, Washington Navy Yard and the National Arboretum. Laurie Lemieux, an avid bicyclist from Greenbelt, rode the new trail three times last week for recreation and to get to the Nationals Park area where she met friends for ice cream. Without the trail, she would have to use the street for a big portion of the ride, which can be intimidating and dangerous, she said. “This really improves our bike infrastructure,” said Lemieux, who owns a bike shop in College Park and give bike lessons through WABA. “It is a whole new avenue for recreation and transportation.” It’s also a escape from the city noise and a chance to catch some great scenery. The Anacostia River area is home to 43 species of fish and more than 200 species of birds. “It’s quite pretty,” Lemieux said. “I get to see eagles and beavers and all kinds of beautiful things. It is peaceful.” Eileen Nivera, a planner with Prince George’s office of parks and planning, said completion of the project ends more than two decades of planning and work to finish this final piece of the trail network. Funding for the construction was secured four years ago, but the original completion date was pushed back about two years. The $22.1-million project was funded with federal, local and state funds.  “A lot of people may not be comfortable with the facilities on the road, so it just opens up the opportunity for more of the population to bike,” Nivera said. “You don’t have to worry about the 18-wheeler at your elbow.”

Column: D.C. United would do well to embrace local community groups

My new favorite residents of Buzzard Point are not my favorite soccer players, D.C. United. Yes, the D.C. Council approved a deal Wednesday that will clear the way for the franchise to build a stadium in the Southwest neighborhood, but if you head around the corner to the east side of the site, you’ll find a more interesting squad. There, on the banks of the Anacostia River on Half Street, sits the Matthew Henson Community Center, one of the outposts of the Earth Conservation Corps, where volunteers and staff nurture endangered birds of prey, among other initiatives. It is a nonprofit group with a stated mission to “empower our endangered youth to reclaim the Anacostia River, their communities and their lives.” The group was started in 1992 by filmmaker and conservationist Robert Nixon, Ward 8 community leader Brenda Richardson and Jackie Massey, head of the tenants council at the Valley Green public housing complex, to get young people drawn to nature to use those efforts to help clean up the river. It worked: More than 20 years later, hundreds of young people have passed through its doors and had their lives improved by learning about conservation. “The mission was to just get young people, give them a chance to be part of the solution,” Nixon said. Tons of cleanups later, the Corps has multiple facilities in the area, staffed by volunteers who work with birds such as the Eurasian eagle owl “Mr. Hoots.” “That's what we’ve been doing for all the years. Just a group of young people basically from Southeast and Southwest, reclaiming the river in their back yard.” Now that D.C. United has its stadium deal, I hope team owners and community-relations staff know there is a willing and able nonprofit group that can help the team take its “community cause” promise to the next level. During negotiations over the stadium, the team pledged to integrate itself into the fabric of the neighborhood and offered a raft of community benefits. Although all of the things offered are important, the team could really shine by embracing places and nonprofit groups that already exist. There’s no harm, after all, in investing in the human capital that eventually could be the people who attend your games. Although nothing formal has been discussed, Nixon is hoping to have a fruitful relationship with D.C. United and its new stadium. “The hope is not just to clean up the river but to keep a place at the table, get a place at the table for the residents that live there,” he said. “I think there’s great promise. It’s a huge opportunity, we think, and I hope the businesses embrace it. That remains to be seen. But it’s starting to happen with the baseball stadium. I hope we can build on that.” But if you head north from the site, you don’t get more than two blocks before you run into residential Southwest. While D.C. United and its fans were celebrating their achievements, on Q Street there was a different scene. Many former residents of the quadrant were gathered on the sidewalk, hanging out in the empty lot at the site where the city is supposed to build a hotel as part of the stadium deal. They think their social spot will soon be a casualty of the stadium’s presence. The owner of that store, Shulman Liquors, isn’t sure what to think about the stadium deal. He figures he’ll probably get some extra foot traffic, but he isn’t banking on it. “Traffic will be a big issue. From a business point of view, yes, it is good, for me,” Arun Phull said. He does fear that housing displacement will be a secondary effect of the stadium. “My number-one concern is for the housing. As long as they’re properly relocated. . . . I don't know what the new mayor has in mind.” Even though there are no plans in the deal to tear down buildings, that hasn’t stopped nearby residents from raising concerns about their future. They figure you don’t just stick a 20,000-seat facility into a neighborhood and expect, say, a three-townhome child-care location to survive what comes next. Reginald Coles, 61, has lived in the District since 1956. He spent 37 years in Southwest until recently moving to Ward 7. “I think the money they were talking about spending, it may be more helpful to get some of these places fixed up, or build better schools around here,” he said. “The power’s in the money. It’s no money around here as far as the working class that’s down here.” We’ll see if D.C. United finds a way of continuing the sustained public relations push it made to get the stadium. Soccer camps and food drives are great, but where the team could really shine is in taking a lead role in getting businesses and investors at the new site to work directly with the folks most clearly affected by the stadium’s existence, whether it is nonprofit groups or people concerned about displacement. In Thursday’s Express newspaper, a full-page team ad reads, “Thanks to the passion of our fans and the collective energy of city leaders and supporters, we are excited to call the District our home for generations to come.” Let’s hope the residents and those working in the community will be able to say the same.

Purple Line environmental study wins federal award

And now from the category of “There’s an award for that?” The Maryland Transit Administration has been tapped for a federal “outstanding achievement award of excellence” for its final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on the 16-mile light-rail Purple Line being planned for the Washington suburbs, MTA officials said Thursday. Environmental impact studies aren’t usually considered page-turners. So just in case you haven’t been glued to the hundreds of pages, the Federal Transit Administration notes that it was “particularly impressed with the presentation of information, including the use of reader-friendly language, graphics and tables, while successfully resolving complicated environmental issues.” The study, released in 2013, examined the transportation and environmental benefits and impacts of the light-rail line being planned between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. The federally required study identifies ways to avoid or mitigate a project’s impacts on communities, historic buildings, parks, wetlands, streams and trees. Bids on a 35-year public-private partnership to design, build, operate, maintain and help finance the line’s construction are due Nov. 17. State officials have said they hope to begin construction in 2016 and open the line for service in 2021.

Flooding from storm surge would threaten D.C. infrastructure, report says

By the end of this century, as sea levels rise, as much as $7 billion worth of property in the District will routinely be threatened by storm-driven floodwaters, according to a new analysis, including 1,000 homes, three military bases and a broad swath of the Mall. With tides on the Atlantic Coast generally forecast to rise two to four feet by 2100, the nation’s capital faces increasing odds that a big storm will blow up the Potomac River and raise local waters by at least eight feet, the analysis says — roughly a foot higher than the damaging floods that accompanied Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The report, set for release Tuesday by the nonprofit Climate Central, maps the areas at risk in unprecedented detail, cataloguing vulnerable government facilities, roadways, cultural sites and private houses. At eight feet, for example, the Washington Navy Yard, Fort McNair and much of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling would be inundated, the report says. So would the Maine Avenue waterfront, subsidized apartments along the Anacostia River and national memorials honoring Jefferson, King and Lincoln. “In D.C., we’re talking about a relatively small slice of land that’s vulnerable. But it’s an area of great cultural, economic and even military importance,” said Ben Strauss, vice president for climate impacts at Climate Central, an organization of scientists and journalists that is assessing flood risk from sea-level rise for the entire U.S. coastline. Museums and federal office buildings along a low-lying stretch of Constitution Avenue NW, which flooded after a week of heavy rains in 2006, would be protected from a tidal surge by a recently-completed levee that straddles 17th Street NW, not far from the White House and the Washington Monument. But District officials said much of the city’s waterfront could be transformed by the threat: The highest flood on record in the city was 7.9 feet in 1933. But by 2100, Climate Central estimates that the District would be facing an eight-foot flood roughly every 10 years. “That’s very routine, probably to the point that people will have to change their way of operating completely,” said Brendan Shane, chief of sustainability for the District Department of the Environment. “Things will be walled off, jacked up or moved. You’re looking at a very different use of the landscape in that scenario.” In addition to the District, Climate Central was set to release detailed maps and data Tuesday for Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. All told, Strauss said, more than $42 billion worth of property across the three states will be threatened by regular flooding as sea levels rise, imperiling 116,000 homes and 3,400 miles of roadway. The most vulnerable spots are Norfolk, Va.; Ocean City, Md.; and other places hit hard by the ocean. But Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the oldest parts of Annapolis are also at risk, as are many communities along the Potomac, such as Old Towne Alexandria. State and local officials are working to respond to the threat, with varying degrees of urgency. In Maryland, which has 3,100 miles of coastline, sea-level rise has been on the agenda for close to 15 years. The state has shifted open-space acquisition away from the coast to avoid preserving land that one day will be underwater. State agencies are required to take sea-level rise into account when planning new buildings and infrastructure. And last year, a Maryland commission recommended adopting an official forecast of two feet of sea-level rise by 2050 — at the high end of the scientific spectrum. “Here in this region, Hurricane Isabel was a big wakeup call. Then [Hurricane] Sandy. And then these heavy precipitation events over the last year,” said Zoe Johnson, program manager for climate change policy at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “There’s been a lot of interest in this type of planning.” By contrast, Virginia, which has 3,400 miles of coastline, has been struggling to reach political consensus since at least 2012, when Republican state lawmakers refused to fund a study on “sea-level rise,” but consented to a study of “recurrent flooding.” The resulting report, by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, nonetheless predicted that tides along the Virginia coast would rise by three to five feet by 2100. Since then, Republican governor Robert F. McDonnell has been replaced by Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who last week convened his own statewide commission on climate change. McAuliffe gave the group a year to come up with some “big ideas” that could be implemented before his four-year term is over. In the District, planning for sea-level rise is just getting underway. While local officials have long had strategies for combating historic flooding, District officials earlier this year hired a consulting team for the first time to start assessing the city’s future risks, not only from higher ocean tides but also from other effects of climate change, including extreme heat and more frequent and heavy precipitation. The team includes Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. An evangelical Christian, Hayhoe gained national fame after appearing on the Showtime documentary about climate change, “Years of Living Dangerously.” The city is also consulting with federal agencies, such as the National Park Service, which manages the Mall and other big chunks of vulnerable land in the District. The Pentagon is conducting its own assessment of vulnerability to climate change at the nation’s military bases, including those in the District. Meanwhile, any change in the city’s flood-risk assessment that makes building more expensive could draw the wrath of developers. “It’s going to be an interesting few months as this discussion progresses, particularly as you have more concrete numbers,” Shane said. “With Climate Central, there’s one map that shows risk levels. But there’s another map for current building codes, and they’re different. “So we may be in this limbo area for a while, where we have competing visions for what the impacts of the climate change may actually be.”

A failing bay cleanup

THE CHESAPEAKE Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It is also one of the dirtiest. Though scientists have warned of the need to clean up the bay for years, very little headway has been made, and a recent Environmental Protection Agency assessment shows that states are not meeting agreed-upon pollution abatement targets. Leaders throughout the watershed should step up their cleanup efforts, and the EPA should hold accountable those who do not. In 1983, the six states in the Chesapeake’s watershed and the District first partnered with the federal government and pledged to save the bay. However, after three more agreements — the latest and strongest in 2014 — states still have not made the progress they have promised on reducing nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment levels in bay waters. States are supposed to be 60 percent of the way toward the EPA’s suggested levels by 2017 and complete the final stretch by 2025. Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania make up most of the bay’s watershed. No state is on track to hit all three targets, but while Maryland and Virginia lag only a little behind, Pennsylvania’s improvement appears almost nonexistent. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has been a champion of conservation. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), on the other hand, campaigned against environmental regulations and suspended the publication of important restrictions on phosphorus output, formulated under predecessor Martin O’Malley, before reaching a compromise with the state legislature in March to pass and publish modified regulations. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) is still unproven, succeeding an administration that largely ignored environmental issues. Leaders cannot afford to ignore the catastrophe in the Chesapeake. The EPA also should not let them. Because the 2014 agreement imposes reporting requirements, the agency finally has the capability to track states’ behavior and punish them with fines or restrictions if they miss the mark. When states fail to act, they jeopardize the health of not just blue terns and osprey but also their own residents. Pollution in the rivers and streams that feed into the estuary contaminates well water in the bay’s watershed. Cleaner waters also mean more tourism. That, along with other benefits from a healthier ecosystem, could save states more than $22 billion dollars per year, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Most state officials involved with the cleanup effort make a similar excuse for slow progress: They’re just getting started. But the struggle is 32 years old. Saving the bay should not be a partisan issue or the job of one governor or legislature. It should be a priority for anyone who has sworn an oath to serve the public interest, and one that spans administrations. **Read more here:** William D. Ruckelshaus: Why haven’t we cleaned up the bay? Will Baker: A manure solution for the Chesapeake Bay

Dominion Virginia Power is doing right by the Potomac

Every day, water used by cities, counties, corporations, industries and numerous other entities is cleaned and returned to local bodies of water with oversight from the government. That oversight, as well as public awareness and education, has led to the Potomac River being cleaner today than it was in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the waterway a “national disgrace.” The writer of the March 13 letter “No place for coal ash” clearly loves the Potomac River. What he lacks, however, is knowledge about what Dominion Virginia Power has repeatedly said it will do to ensure that the water being put back into the river is tested and treated to levels above what the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has already determined is safe for aquatic life, swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking. Remember, Dominion has been mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency to close the coal ash ponds at its power stations as the nation moves toward a cleaner energy future and to reduce the chances of a coal ash spill. To do that, Dominion must remove the water in the ash ponds. Environmentalists, including me, need to communicate what is going on instead of perpetuating misunderstanding and falsehoods. ****Alexander Smith Jr.** , Richmond** _The writer is a retired senior external affairs manager for state and local affairs for   Dominion Virginia Power._

A desperate try to restock the Potomac’s sturgeon

Believe it or not, there’s a Chesapeake Bay fish in even worse shape than the recovering striped bass, the troubled blue crab and even the imperiled bay oyster. The Atlantic sturgeon, pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing and development, is little more than a memory in the Potomac River, ready for a spot in a museum. The last time a fisherman caught an adult Atlantic sturgeon in the Potomac, an American Motors Gremlin two-door sold for $2,000. Forty-three years later, river watchers are only noting unreliable sturgeon sightings. Convinced that one of the Potomac’s signature fish might be gone for good, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin has thrown its support behind a Maryland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife plan to use 60 domesticated Atlantic sturgeon, mostly from New York’s Hudson River, to restock the Potomac. But the effort to bring them back has its own troubles. Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fishery service listed four varieties of Atlantic sturgeon populations as endangered — the New York Bight, Carolina, South Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay listing has all but dashed hopes of restocking using the Hudson River sturgeon kept at a Maryland hatchery. To preserve the genetic purity of protected animals under the Endangered Species Act, rules prohibit mixing wild and tame species, no matter how much they look alike. Long story short, Hudson sturgeon aren’t allowed to potentially mess around with their wild cousins in the Potomac. The result is that the Potomac will almost certainly lose its oldest, largest and most distinctive fish. Marine biologists say it will take more than a century for sturgeon that migrate up and down the Atlantic Coast to return to spawn in Chesapeake Bay tributaries such as the Potomac. In a desperate bid to move forward with restocking, the commission — with members from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, the District and the federal government — is preparing to submit a petition and recovery plan to NOAA to persuade it to green-light the project. But even the director of the commission’s living resources division, Jim Cummins, called the effort “pretty iffy.” Still, he said, “We have to try. Otherwise, I’ll never see sturgeon in the Potomac River in my lifetime.” The loss of sturgeon would diminish any river’s appeal. Sturgeon aren’t the most attractive fish, but their bodies are impressive, growing to 14 feet and weighing as much as 800 pounds. Like humans, they become reproductive in their teens. They can live to age 60. Like sharks, they roamed the waters when dinosaurs walked the earth. Since the 1800s, they were fished for meat that was pickled, eggs turned into caviar, skin converted to leather and oils used for paints. Two brothers pulled a 170-pound, 7-foot sturgeon out of the Potomac in April 1970 in Fairfax County, the last known catch. The fish were once so abundant in the Chesapeake that Native Americans grabbed them by hand. Now the James River is one of a few bay tributaries with enough to merit a count. But the estimated population of 300 is so small, compared to a historic population of 20,000, that removing any for restocking is frowned on by NOAA. One commissioner, George Reiger, is furious over the potential loss of a fish he loves, and what he called NOAA’s overly rigid protections for the species. “We have fish in those tanks that could jump-start this whole process,” he said. Besides, said Reiger, a federal appointee, sturgeon “are out there intermingling anyway,” particularly in the ocean before returning to rivers to spawn. “The boys [at NOAA] with their computers and their policy aren’t as immersed in the real world as they need to be,” he said. The bad news doesn’t end there for Reiger and his colleagues. Unable to fulfill their mission to repopulate the Potomac, the Hudson sturgeon at the hatchery are probably doomed, swimming on a sort of death row. GenOn, a utility that supports the program with about $250,000 per year, might pull its funding, leaving no way to provide for the fish, said Brian Richardson, the Maryland hatcheries division manager. Returning them to the Hudson River isn’t an option, said Marta Nammack, national Endangered Species Act listing coordinator for NOAA Fisheries Service. “They’ve been domesticated,” she said. “They wouldn’t know how to survive. It would be like euthanasia. Nobody wants to kill a bunch of fish.” NOAA has similar concerns about releasing the fish in the Potomac. Hatchery fish have a lower survival rate in the wild, and Hudson sturgeon aren’t adapted to the Chesapeake. The commission, along with Maryland and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, had high hopes for restocking from the hatchery. In 1996, long before the listings, 3,000 sturgeon from other places were released into Maryland’s Nanticoke River. Watermen were encouraged to recapture those fish to determine if they stuck around and spawned. Plenty of the released sturgeon were caught, but data failed to show what biologists hoped for — a sign that they had babies that would one day return to spawn their own. The sad truth is that Atlantic sturgeon are complicated and take a long time to reproduce, making it hard for them to recover from wipeout. It started with the Atlantic sturgeon’s relative, the smaller short nose sturgeon, protected from fishing in 1967 when the population fell too low. Thirty years later, Maryland closed its Atlantic sturgeon fishery. NOAA designated them as a species of concern in 2004, leading to last year’s endangered listing. Endangered listings are a last-ditch attempt to preserve a wild species. Blood lines aren’t the only concern. NOAA is establishing a team of academics and scientists to examine ways to improve water quality, reduce boat strikes, lower bycatches in fishing nets and remove obstacles to their migration. “We need to make sure the threats to the habitat are no longer there,” Nammack said. The future for sturgeon in the Potomac is as murky as its waters. Nearly 50 years after the short nose sturgeon was protected, it still hasn’t come back. “Unfortunately, this species takes a long time to reproduce,” Nammack said. “It does take patience, and it’s tough because it’s not anything that anybody wants to hear.”

The Anacostia Safari Series invites you to paddle for a purpose

Want another way to get out on the water? This summer, the Anacostia Watershed Society has introduced its Safari Series — boat trips designed to reveal new views of the river. This past weekend’s Lotus Paddle, a canoe outing to the pink and white blooms of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, was at capacity. And for good reason: The guided trip included a history of the river, fun facts about (and sightings of) several animals that live there and a tour through the water directly into the National Park Service site. Act fast to snag spaces on the final three trips of the series. There’s another Lotus Paddle (Aug. 2, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.), a Moonlit Paddle (Aug. 15, 8 p.m.-midnight) and a no-upper-body- strength-required Sunset Tour (Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.) on a pontoon boat. The excursions leave from Bladensburg Waterfront Park (4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg, Md.) and require a $29-per-person donation to the society. Get more details at anacostiaws.org.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday  You Might Also Like: Silver Line travel guide: Five excursions on Metro’s new rails    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday Boatbound borrows the Airbnb model to encourage people to get their feet wet    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday A new study about what makes sports fun for kids finds that winning isn’t everything    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday

Monitoring water quality of local streams

While many of her peers have congressional internships or jobs that have kept them inside air conditioned office buildings, Kelsey Stafford has spent her summer working outdoors examining the environment of the nation’s capital. As an intern with the National Park Service, Stafford has been monitoring the water quality of 10 streams along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. These streams, which include Spout Run in Arlington, feed into the Potomac River and ultimately affect the area’s drinking water. Erik Oberg, who supervises Stafford, said the 12-week Student Conservation Association internship “introduces bright and enthusiastic young people to careers with the Park Service, while also empowering them to become the scientists of the future.” Stafford and her colleague Michael Wills have braved the summer’s record-breaking heat to conduct regular testing on the water chemistry and biology of each stream. They have tested for chlorine, phosphorus and nitrates in the water and looked for the presence of dragonflies, freshwater clams, worms and crayfish, which serve as water quality, stream health, and environmental indicators. From these measurements, Stafford has been able to determine the pollution levels for each of the 10 streams. “The organisms living in these streams are very sensitive. A slight change in chemical levels can have a drastic effect on the streams and organisms, and many people are unaware of this,” said Stafford. In addition, Stafford has conducted ecological habitat assessments on each stream. This includes examining the occurrence of bank erosion and the amount of algae and shade coverage. The culmination of the research will be released this fall as part of an annual report distributed by the park service that will provide area residents with a water quality score ranging from one to 12 for each stream. Stafford said that “none of our streams are a one or a 12, but most have a score of three or four on average.” She added that “one of the biggest challenges is the lack of public awareness about protecting the watersheds and how directly affected they are by what happens in people’s backyards.” For example, Stafford said actions such as dumping chemicals down a drain or chlorinated pool water into a backyard can have huge effects on the aquatic life of these streams and on the area’s drinking water. As a result, Stafford has made it a point to teach people she encounters during the field work about how they can be better stewards of these watersheds. She offers simple tips like using rain barrels on gutter downspouts and backyard rain gardens to help minimize storm runoff or using a gravel or paving stone base for a patio instead of solid cement to help reduce the amount of impervious surfaces in local watersheds. For Stafford, the opportunity to do hands-on field research has been a highlight of her internship. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 2009, she spent six months interning for the U.S. Forest Service in a remote section of Alaskan wilderness where she helped determine the best way to increase vegetation growth after the area was logged. “I was really impressed with Kelsey’s work in Alaska. It is great having someone who has a foundation in field work anchoring the two-person team,” said Oberg. “She is also excellent at attention to detail, and this kind of work lends itself to having this skill – from the chemical water testing and ensuring accurate measurements to counting the 875th invertebrate in your net at the end of a nine-hour day.” Stafford plans to pursue a career in research after her internship ends this month, and her experience with the National Park Service has her considering opportunities with the federal government since it will allow her to have a positive impact on the country. “I feel so privileged to be a part a program leading the way in stream water quality monitoring for this National Capital Region Network, but making a difference in educating the public on how to preserve these resources not only in the backyard of our nation’s capital, but across our entire country,” she said. _This article was jointly prepared by the Partnership for Public Service, a group seeking to enhance the performance of the federal government, and washingtonpost.com. Go tohttp://washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/politics/fedpage/players/ to read about other federal workers who are making a difference._ ****

D.C. news in brief

The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking comments on a D.C. Department of Transportation proposal to replace the swing-type Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge over the Anacostia River with a new fixed bridge. The replacement will save the District an estimated $140 million in construction and an additional $100,000 a year in operational and maintenance costs. The new bridge design and construction are planned as the first of two phases in DDOT’s $908 million South Capitol Street Corridor Project. Because the proposal would alter the horizontal and vertical clearances of the river’s navigation channel, the Coast Guard needs to know the sizes and types of vessels owned and operated on the Anacostia. They are also seeking detailed navigational opinions from mariners and adjacent property owners. The comment form is available at www.navcen.uscg.gov. Comments, due Dec. 3, can be mailed to Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, 431 Crawford Street, Portsmouth, Va., 23704-5004. For information, e-mail ddot.awi@dc.gov or call 202-741-8528. The D.C. Public Library recently revamped its online catalog. Customers can do searches from the library’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/dclibrary), renew items with one click and text details about an item to a cellphone. The catalog will also locate items that have been misspelled. In addition to English, the catalog is indexed in Spanish, French and Chinese. The library is seeking feedback for further improvements to the online catalog at www.dclibrary.org/newcatalog or on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #newdcplcatalog. The D.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on the design concepts for the Barney Circle and Southeast Boulevard Transportation Planning Study from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. next Thursday at Payne Elementary School Auditorium, 1445 C Street SE. The goal of the study is to turn the Southeast Freeway, between 11th Street SE and Barney Circle, into a boulevard that unites with adjacent neighborhoods and offers new connections to the Anacostia River. Possible approaches include allowing vehicle turning movements on Barney Circle, pedestrian and bicyclist access to the river, and multimodal transportation options. For information, go to www.anacostiawaterfront.org/barneycircle or e-mail barneycircle@prrbiz.com. To join the project e-mail list or for questions, e-mail ddot.awi@dc.gov or call 202-741-8528. Curtis Clay, a District architect, has been named director of park and public realm development for the NoMa Business Improvement District. He will work with the NoMa Parks Foundation and the NoMa BID to acquire and design new parks and public spaces in the NoMa neighborhood. The D.C. City Council authorized $50 million in its budget for parks, playgrounds and green space in the NoMa neighborhood in May. Clay has architecture degrees from Howard University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He recently completed the design of the new Ballou High School and oversaw the redevelopment of Eastern Market after its catastrophic fire in 2007. Clay has also served as the mayor’s representative on the D.C. Construction Codes Coordinating Board. For information, go to www.nomabid.org/parks. **— Compiled by Terence McArdle**

Quit whining, Alexandria, and fix your sewer

The April 8 Metro article “Alexandria seeks veto on legislature’s deadline to fix outdated sewer system” reported on yet more whining from Alexandria officials about being forced by the Virginia General Assembly to clean up the regular overflow of raw sewage into the Potomac River. City officials said doing this in 7½ years as required by the General Assembly is too burdensome. Clean Water Action estimates that the overflow amounts to 140 million gallons of untreated sewage annually polluting the river near some densely populated Old Town areas and then flowing onward to pollute our downstream neighbors. The neighboring communities would not likely react well to further delay. More action in the next General Assembly would be likely. Long before most of the current Alexandria City Council members or the mayor were in office, Alexandria had this problem. A section of the sewer system known as the combined sewer was installed around the time of the Civil War. The Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration pressured communities with aged, polluting sewers to act. Only then was any cleanup even begun, and the replacement of this part of the problem was put last on the list. Enough is enough. Alexandria needs to prioritize this project above other infrastructure needs for the health and safety of its citizens. ****Katy Cannady** , Alexandria**

D.C. news in brief

The Capitol Hill Community Foundation, a group that offers grants for education, social services and art programs and fosters volunteering in Capitol Hill neighborhoods, has set up a fund to provide support for Frager’s Hardware and those affected by the June 5 fire that destroyed the store’s Pennsylvania Avenue building. To contribute, go to www.capitolhillcommunityfoundation.org, click on the Donate button and write “Frager’s” in the dedication line. Logan White, a rising junior at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, was crowned Miss D.C.’s Outstanding Teen and was awarded a $1,500 scholarship at the pageant held at Arena Stage on June 9. White will work with local agencies and nonprofit organizations to promote the ways in which teens can use digital media to enhance their education. White has her own YouTube channel, Carpe Glamour, which offers advice on teen-appropriate fashion and makeup. She will sing for her talent competition when she competes for the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen at the national event in Orlando from Aug. 9-18. The Miss D.C. Pageant is a preliminary competition to select the young women (Miss D.C. and Miss D.C.’s Outstanding Teen) who will represent the District in the upcoming Miss America and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competitions. For information, go to www.missdc.org or e-mail mdcotteam@gmail.com. The District Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on the D.C. Streetcar project from 6:30 to 8 p.m., June 27 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE in the Great Hall. The open house will feature updated information on the H Street/Benning Road construction, the Car Barn Training Center, streetcar stations, safety and kids, the mid-line substation, streetcar happenings in Anacostia and future streetcar lines. For information, e-mail info@dcstreetcar.com or call 855-413-2954 or go to www.dcstreetcar.com. To receive H/Benning construction notices, e-mail construction@dcstreetcar.com. Small business owners along 12th Street NE in Brookland could be eligible for up to $5,000 in matching grants from the Brookland Storefront Improvement Program to pay for exterior improvements to their storefronts. Improvements include replacing business signs and entrance doors and repairing storefront windows. The service area is defined by 12th Street NE between Rhode Island Avenue and Michigan Avenue. For information, e-mail camille.nixon@dc.gov. To apply, go to dcbiz.ecenterdirect.com and submit an Expression of Interest form. The application deadline is July 19. **— Compiled by Terence McArdle**

Prince William County news in brief

Manassas and American Disposal Services recently awarded a $1,000 grant to the Cannon Ridge Homes Association to develop recycling and litter-prevention communication and outreach materials. This is the first “Try It” grant in a new city program that awards small grants to home associations looking to improve their communities. Grants are awarded in three stages: ●“Try It” — up to $1,000 given to communities to try ideas to increase recycling. ●“Do It” — up to $5,000 awarded to successful “Try It” recipients who express confidence in taking their community project to the next level. ● “Build It” — up to $15,000 paid out to communities that have successfully launched a “Do It” project and would like to install or renovate a common area within the community to benefit the health and well-being of community members. For information, call 703-257-8256 or visit manassascity.org/trash. The Prince William Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday presented its annual business awards and the Agnes L. Colgan Community Service Awards during a ceremony at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. Project Mend-a-House received the Agnes L. Colgan prize for health and human services. Center for the Arts received one for arts and education. Carlos Castro of Todos Supermarket won the Charles J. Colgan award for visionaries. Baden Contracting received the outstanding professional service award, and KO Distilling was named emerging business of the year. Excellence in small business (1 to 10 employees) went to Metro Sign and Design, and the business excellence award (11 or more employees) was given to the firm Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian. Government contractor of the year was awarded to Athena Construction Group. What’s Up Prince William received the community outreach award, and Aurora Flight Sciences was named tech company of the year. The innovative practice-partnership awards went to the city of Manassas Park, the parks department, and the Prince William County Solid Waste Division. To read about the winners and view event photos, visit pwchamber.org or facebook.com/pwchamber. Bluebird Tours, a Prince William County Area Agency on Aging program, is planning several bus tours this year for residents 55 and older. Tours will include: ●National Gallery of Art, March 16. ●“Fickle” at Olney Theatre Center, March 18. ●“Saturday Night Fever” at Riverside Dinner Theatre in Fredericksburg, March 22. ●“Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing” at Signature Theatre, March 25. ●“The Unbridled Spirit of Kentucky: Moonshine, Mountains and Music” in Louisville and Lexington, Ky., April 1-8. ●“Chicago” at the Kennedy Center, April 8. ●“Something Rotten!” at the Hippodrome in Baltimore, April 22. ●Horseshoe Curve in Johnsontown and Altoona, Pa., April 26 and 27. → ●“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” at Altria Theatre in Richmond, April 29. ●90th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Parade and Festival in Winchester, Va., May 6. ●William Paca House and Gardens and Annapolis Harbor Cruise, May 10. ●“The Gaithers” at American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pa., May 13. ●Music and Rails, Elkins, W.Va., May 19-21. ●Real Housewives of Indiana and Ohio, May 29-June 3. ●Sail Boston, June 17-21. For information or reservations, visit pwcgov.org or call Quality Tours at   703-339-0333. ** — Compiled by Sarah Lane  **

Your ideas on keeping drinking water clean

KidsPost readers never fail to come up with good ideas. Our call asking what kids have done or will do to keep our drinking water clean was no exception. We had nearly 200 entries from kids in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, and a panel of judges from KidsPost and the Nature Conservancy selected four finalists. “We were so inspired by the many entries that included creative and committed suggestions,” said Stephanie Flack, Potomac River project director for the Nature Conservancy. “We were impressed by the kids’ terrific ideas of what they, their families and their friends can do to keep water clean.” The finalists and their families will be treated to a picnic and hike at the Potomac Gorge with a Nature Conservancy scientist. A winner will be chosen from among the finalists and will receive KidsPost goodies and a behind-the-scenes tour at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. We have included some of the finalists’ thoughts on keeping drinking water clean. You might try one or more of these ideas in your home or school, because every drop counts. I would encourage my family, friends and community to take shorter showers, turn the faucet off when they aren’t using it, like when brushing your teeth or washing the dishes. . . . You would be amazed how much water and money you could save by turning the faucet off or even minimizing the time you use it. Another action I would take is to start a program at school to participate in cleaning up streams. We could even adopt a stream to clean up. This will keep all of the trash out of the water that may pollute and harm the animals. We could also plant vegetation along the stream banks. Doing this would stabilize the bank and help prevent erosion, reduce sediment, filter runoff and create wildlife habitat. My last idea is that I would encourage people to never pour chemicals down the sink or flush them down the toilet. Some of the chemicals might be hazardous to the environment. They shouldn’t end up in the city’s waste disposal department. . . . You should also dispose of your trash and waste of all kind properly. Don’t think about it as doing nature a favor but yourself a favor, because water is reused and I’m sure you don’t want to drink contaminated, unhealthy water. — _Madelyne Cabico, 13_ _Washington_ Whenever you want to change the world around you, the best thing to do is to look at the world around you. One of the problems I see is the pollution of our water supply because of the improper disposal of chemicals, paints and medicines. There are many things that I do that you can do too! You can try to remind your friends and family to dispose of chemicals safely. Why not make a game of it? See who in your family can find the largest amount of unused products to recycle, then go as a family to the nearest transfer station to deposit them. If everyone did their part our water would be so much cleaner. A lot of people do not realize how lucky we are to have clean water. Many of the young people in my generation do not fully appreciate that many people in other countries cannot turn on a tap and instantly have fresh, clean water. This needs to change. So look at yourself and others around you, and see what you can do to make change happen! — _Lily Bernero, 11_ _Fairfax_ Well water is the most common source of drinking water where I live, so I have learned some creative ways to help keep our groundwater clean. My family always uses organic, NEVER chemical, fertilizers for our yard. We apply vinegar to small areas and rubber mulch/wood chips for larger beds. It is more work than spraying chemicals that kill weeds within a couple of hours, but by going organic, we keep our groundwater and our consciences clean. I always pick up after my dog, because his poo can leach toxins into the soil, which could add poisons to our groundwater. Animal waste is harmful to the long-term health of our groundwater. In a two-for-one green deal, instead of wasting plastic, I reuse the bag in which our daily newspaper is wrapped to pick up Sparky’s poo. It works really well, because it is the length of my arm and acts as a glove for this “big job”! We keep a pasta pot in the kitchen sink to collect water from hand-washing and rinsing dishes, which we then use to water our indoor plants. Our lush green plants seem to approve. — _Sidharth Muralidhar, 13_ _Great Falls_ From a very young age, I was fascinated with water. I remember sitting on the kitchen floor pouring water back and forth into different containers. My mom said I could drink that water but not the water from the fish pond. “Why?” I wondered. As I grew older, I became a Girl Scout. We studied water conservation. Our service project was to encourage people to save water. We created signs to hang over every sink in the church to help them think about the amount of water they used. We also went to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and took samples of the water to see how clean it was. Not clean enough to drink, they told me. I felt like a scientist, and still wanted to know why. My pen pal in Mozambique has to walk to the river to fetch water for her village. I want to write and ask her how they keep their water clean. We can learn from people all over the world and help each other. My mom told me putting chemicals into the ground can hurt our water. My scientist self will keep learning so I can teach others about keeping our water clean. — _Ryanne Barstow, 8_ _Washington_

Planners to weigh 2nd Potomac River crossing from Montgomery — again

A second Potomac River bridge connecting Montgomery County and Northern Virginia — an idea that has been studied and debated since the 1950s — is again drawing both interest and criticism, as elected officials and transportation planners search for ways to ease the region’s notoriously heavy traffic. Next week the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, the body that helps set transportation priorities for the metropolitan area, will consider listing the bridge project for further analysis. “This is my number one for the region,” said Loudoun County Supervisor Ron Meyer (R), a member of the regional planning board. He served on a task force that winnowed more than 80 potential road and transit projects down to 10 for the full board to consider at its July 19 meeting. The idea of a river crossing north of the perpetually clogged American Legion bridge has long interested businesses, planners and many road-weary commuters. But the projected multibillion dollar cost, competing priorities and some studies showing that it would only make traffic worse have left the proposal stuck on the drawing board. Support for the bridge has historically been stronger among Northern Virginia officials and businesses. That divide appears to be as wide as ever. Montgomery Council President Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), said Monday that the project would seriously damage the county’s 90,000 acre agricultural reserve. Maryland’s transportation dollars, he added, would be better spent widening Interstate 270 and the Legion bridge. “We need to fix what is broken, not fantasize about a bridge that will never happen,” Berliner said at his weekly news conference. Berliner said he will sponsor a resolution at Tuesday’s council meeting condemning the project. “In my judgment this is a zombie bridge, and we need to put a stake in this.” Meyer, citing recent polling by pro-bridge groups in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, said he thinks there is a disconnect on the issue between Montgomery’s political class and people who commute across the Potomac. “What I would tell Roger Berliner is, ‘Go knock on 100 doors today and ask the people you represent whether we need a river crossing,’ ” Meyer said. One long-outspoken supporter of the bridge is Gaithersburg-based developer Robert E. Buchanan, who chairs the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, created by the county to more effectively attract and retain business. Buchanan, who also heads the 2030 Group, a coalition of business leaders favoring the bridge, called the project a “game changer . . . It’s been high on our agenda for a long time.” Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton, chairman of the regional planning board, cautioned that inclusion of the bridge on the priority list by no means places it closer to reality. “We are not saying any of [the projects] are sure bets,” she said. “What we are saying is that at this point in time it warrants taking a deeper look into whether any of them would help with the congestion problems.” Representatives for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) did not respond to inquiries Monday. Virginia officials have emphasized that because the Potomac River is on the Maryland side of the border, that state would have to take most of the initiative in building a bridge — and, along with the federal government, shoulder most of the expense. “I don’t fund bridges that aren’t in our state,” McAuliffe told Bethesda Beat last year at a business forum. “It doesn’t touch our border. That’s your simple answer. I take responsibility for bridges in Virginia.” Hogan, appearing at the same forum, said he didn’t accept the premise that the project has broad support. “I wouldn’t agree . . . that everyone agrees it needs to happen.” The governor, who will appear in Gaithersburg on Tuesday for an unrelated transportation announcement, added that the state was working on improving its existing bridges. Two weeks after the forum, Hogan announced a plan to spend about $230 million to improve I-270 between Bethesda and Frederick, Md. But the plan includes no additional lanes on the highway, and local Democrats call the initiative inadequate.

How the Coast Guard can protect the president and Potomac River paddlers

Regarding the July 26 Metro article “Part of Potomac to be open while Trump golfs”: The Coast Guard was right to change course and allow paddlers passage along the Maryland side of the Potomac when President Trump is at his Sterling golf course. This is the river equivalent of narrowing a multiple-lane highway to a single lane. Without sufficient notice and effective ways to reach recreational river users, many river users won’t know the security zone is in effect until they’re stopped by the Coast Guard. Inexperienced boaters could run into trouble fighting strong currents to reach the authorized area. To reduce this risk, the Coast Guard should post signs at all nearby river access points to inform boaters of the zone, set up text, email or other online alerts to notify the public as early as possible that river access is restricted and have a plan to visually alert paddlers when and where they need to move to the Maryland side of the river. Swift, vocal opposition to the Coast Guard’s original plan to close the entire river near the golf course prevented our rights to enjoy the Potomac from being a casualty of national security policy. There was an easier way. A few years ago, the Trump National Golf Course cut down hundreds of trees along the river. We knew those trees played an important role in protecting the Potomac from pollution, but they also could have helped to protect a president. ****Jeff Kelble** , Washington ** _The writer is president of the   Potomac Riverkeeper Network_.

Mountaintop removal for coal hurts water quality and harms fish, study says

In West Virginia’s Appalachian mountains, fish are vanishing. The number of species has fallen, the populations of those that remain are down, and some individual fish look a little skinny. A new government study traces the decline in abundance to mountaintop removal, the controversial coal mining practice of clear cutting trees from mountains before blowing off their tops with explosives. When the resulting rain of shattered rock hits the rivers and streams that snake along the base of the mountains, minerals released from within the stone are changing the water’s chemistry, the study said, lowering its quality and causing tiny prey such as insects, worms and invertebrates to die. “We’re seeing significant reductions in the number of fish species and total abundance of fish downstream from mining operations,” said Nathaniel Hitt, a research fish biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey’s office in Kearneysville, W.Va., and one of the study’s two authors. Hitt and his co-author, Doug Chambers, a biologist and water quality specialist in the Charleston, W.Va., office of the USGS, took a 1999 study of the Guyandotte River basin’s fish populations by Pennsylvania State University researchers to compare them over time. For two years starting in 2010, they sampled the populations in waters downstream from an active mountaintop coal mining operation. In one of the sample areas, the Mud River watershed, which contains the largest tributary of the Guyandotte River, at least “100 point source pollution discharge permits associated with surface mining have been issued,” the study said. North America’s central Appalachian mountains, where the basin lies, are considered a global hot spot of freshwater fish biodiversity, but few researchers have investigated the impact of mountain strip mining on stream fish, and the effects “are poorly understood,” the study said. Hitt and Chambers found that the number of species was cut in half and the abundance of fish fell by a third. The silverjaw minnow, fosyface shiner, silver shiner, bluntnose minnow, spotted bass and largemouth bass, along with at least two other species detected before their study, were no longer there. Another fish species, the small and worm-like least brook lamprey, never before detected, had moved in. In areas of the river basin where there was no mountaintop mining, fish flourished. In addition to species that were in those waters previously, seven new ones were found, including the spotfin shiner, the spottail shiner and the golden redhorse. “I think if we only focus on the fact that it’s fish . . . some people will say, ‘So what?’ ” Chambers said. But fish and invertebrates they eat are canaries in a coal mine for researchers, “indicators of the water quality,” he said. The USGS looks “at the nation’s water resources . . . their significance to the nation, and [tries] to understand processes that are degrading water quality. [Tainted] water may not be suitable for additional uses.” Research such as the USGS’s mountaintop mining study, published online early this month by the Society for Freshwater Science, is viewed with suspicion in coal country, where mining operations provide thousands of jobs. “The people opposed to the coal industry are trying to pile on with more studies,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “It sounds like this is one of those studies that sets out to show there’s harm done. It sounds like perhaps more of the same.” Raney said he has not seen the USGS study and cannot strongly criticize its methods or conclusions, but people “don’t just wake up in the morning and decide they are going to do mountaintop mining,” he said. “It takes three to four years to get a permit. Every aspect of the operation is analyzed.” Mountaintop removal as a way of extracting coal has been in practice since the 1960s, but its use has expanded in the past two decades and it now takes place in the Appalachian regions of Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia, in addition to West Virginia. The coal the process produces provides power to hundreds of thousands of homes, industry advocates say, and creates about 14,000 jobs that pay middle- income salaries in regions where work is hard to find. “The average mining wage is more than $66,000 per year . . . 57 percent higher than the average for industrial jobs,” according to the National Mining Association. “Mountaintop mining accounts for approximately 45 percent of the entire state’s coal production in West Virginia.” Raney’s association disputed claims that mining destroys streams and mountains, saying state permits and government regulations require the land to be restored after use. But the Sierra Club Eastern Missouri Group called the practice “quite possibly the worst environmental assault yet” because of the amount of landscape it removes and the impacts to people and animals. Homeowners in one West Virginia community, Lindytown, were bought out by a company before the town essentially disappeared following mountaintop removal. Homes and a grave site were left behind. Cascading debris has buried streams, impacting a diversity of wildlife, a major concern raised by the Environmental Protection Agency. Often, companies are granted exemptions that ease requirements to restore land. Conservationists call the practice a plunder, and protesters, including Quakers in Appalachia and demonstrators at the White House, have called on the government to end it and banks to stop funding it. “Mountaintop removal mining is one of the fastest-changing land use forms in the region,” Hitt said. “One of the main questions for our research lab is how biological communities respond to land use changes.” In the case of the fish, they seemingly do not respond well, Chambers said. “To sum up, 10 fish species were apparently extirpated from the mined sites,” meaning they were rooted out, completely destroyed, he said. Fish with a more diverse diet appeared to fare well, but those that relied primarily on invertebrates, such as small aquatic insects, tended to fare poorly. “It’s telling us that the water quality is changing,” Chambers said. Water in that area is not used for drinking, he said, but “if you look at it from a regulatory perspective, you have to determine if the water is fishable, swimmable, drinkable, all of these are benchmarks.”

Prince George’s County news in brief

The Labor Department recently granted the electrical training ALLIANCE, based in Upper Marlboro, $4.7 million to develop and run a pre-apprenticeship program that will train workers in electrical and civil engineering, as well as network administrators. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), who announced the grant, said the program will fill a demand for industry jobs in Maryland. Funds will be used to create an apprenticeship curriculum and open 13 electrical training centers across the United States that will serve 1,000 apprentices over five years, with a focus on providing opportunities for underrepresented populations. The grant is part of $175 million in American Apprenticeship Grants provided by the Obama administration. The electrical training ALLIANCE (previously called NJATC) was created as a joint training program between the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to develop and standardize education in the electrical industry. For information, visit www.electricaltrainingalliance.org. The city of Bowie is offering grant money to individuals and groups interested in providing art performances, workshops or education programs for Bowie residents. Grant money is also available for parent-teacher organizations, schools and other programs that have new and creative ideas for students and seniors in the city. The deadline to apply for art grants is Friday at 5 p.m. The education grants deadline is Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. Applications are at www.cityofbowie.org/forms. For information, contact Annette Esterheld at aesterheld@cityofbowie.org or call 301-575-5601. The Prince George’s County Department of the Environment recently launched an initiative to reduce roadside litter and create greener neighborhoods and watersheds in the area. The program, “Clean Sweep,” is a joint effort by the county, the Maryland State Administration and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The effort targets 20 communities in the Anacostia River Watershed. Workers will clean up trash and litter and patrol for illegal dumping. The program will help fulfill a mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce litter on the Anacostia River. The Department of the Environment  will lead the effort, with assistance from the departments of Corrections, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation; the police; and other agencies. Cleanup efforts will be completed by Oct. 31. For information, visit www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/publicworks or call 301-883-5839 or 301-883-7164. ** — Compiled by Jillian S. Jarrett  **

Building an optimistic future for D.C.

Obsessive hand-wringing over the misdeeds and criminal behavior of a few corrupt D.C. political leaders and public officials risks obscuring a much more important reality about the city. Today, Washington is a more attractive, vibrant, well-functioning city than it was only a few years ago. And I predict that Washington is destined to become a dynamic, truly world-class capital — not just a world capital— where people will eagerly live, work and visit. If trends continue, the District — still a work in progress — could be home to a million people in a few decades. Many will reside in revitalized neighborhoods, including east of the Anacostia River, that will have become economically and socially stable, physically safe and amply serviced. The trending evidence seems crystal clear, especially for those who have resided in Washington long enough to remember when so many parts of the city east of Rock Creek Park were deemed physically derelict and unsafe; when there were few decent restaurants; and when families were fleeing to the suburbs. Today, many once-derelict areas — U Street NW, 14th Street NW, Columbia Heights, Shaw, H Street NE, Capitol Hill, the Southeast Waterfront — have been transformed or are undergoing transformation. Owing to ambitious, visionary public- and private-sector initiatives coupled with historically unique resources, D.C. as a whole will be a transformed city in a generation. It will possess an enviable array of civic, cultural, commercial and recreational opportunities and amenities — parks, museums, libraries, performance and entertainment venues, shopping destinations, sports facilities — unmatched by most American cities. Today’s troubled D.C. primary and secondary educational system will have been substantially improved, in part because of steady growth in the number and quality of public charter schools. Indeed, every D.C. student may be attending a charter school in the not-too-distant future. Significant advances in teaching methodology, technology and resources, and in teacher quality and capability, will enhance the effectiveness of urban education. The capital’s physical environment will be greatly improved because city agencies, public utility providers and private property owners will have taken measures to solve or alleviate current environmental problems, some of which are already being addressed. The city’s systems for water treatment and distribution, sewage collection and treatment and storm water management will perform more effectively and sustainably. Polluted runoff into streams and rivers will decrease dramatically because of greatly increased storm water retention and filtration. This will be the result of new storm water storage structures being built by DC Water, more green roofs throughout the city, preserved parkland, vegetated urban open spaces and bioswales and the use of more pervious paving. Public pressure will motivate Pepco and Washington Gas to continue upgrading their systems and customer services. Most notable in the coming decades will be new technologies and equipment enabling utility companies and consumers to better monitor, regulate and reduce energy consumption. This will further contribute to environmental health by reducing the city’s carbon footprint. What about traffic in the future? For several reasons, I predict that city traffic congestion will be less than it is today. Fewer commuter-driven cars will be on city streets because of increased availability and use of transit — heavy rail, light rail, buses, shuttles of various types and water taxis. Streetcars will again be a common sight in D.C., as well as in Arlington, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. And the use of bicycles will continue to increase. Telecommuting and Internet-based work will grow, and many workers will spend only a few days each week at their workplace. The percentage of one-car and zero-car households will rise substantially, with greater reliance on rental cars. And many cars on D.C. streets will be small, electric powered or hybrid vehicles, further enhancing the city’s environmental quality by using little or no gasoline and eliminating carbon emissions. Choosing to live near their workplaces, lots of people will more willingly walk greater distances. They will walk for exercise, but also because the urban pedestrian experience will be more visually interesting and attractive. City streets and sidewalks will be better lighted and landscaped, activated with places to shop, eat, sit and spectate. All these urban enhancements and benefits promise to attract new businesses and new residents. They will keep coming despite high D.C. taxes and high real estate costs. And they will keep coming because of the city’s and region’s stable, relatively recession-resistant economy, fueled largely by the federal government but increasingly by private-sector investment and activity. They also will come to Washington for non-economic reasons: a favorable, four-season climate, with spring and fall being exceptionally beautiful; countless parks, historic sites and natural landscapes; increasingly vibrant nightlife and excellent restaurants; an expanding, diverse cultural network rivaling New York’s; and a geographic location making Washington convenient for people traveling to and from anywhere on the planet. Will recurring misbehavior by a few local politicians, so endemic to urban governance across the country, deter people from coming to or staying in D.C.? Not a chance. Fortunately, most citizens know that, for every corrupt politician, there are thousands of public servants doing their jobs honestly and diligently in the interest of making Washington a better city. This is why you should be optimistic about the future of America’s capital. **Roger K. Lewis** is a practicing architect and a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland.

Recipe for a healthy Potomac

We appreciate the spotlight that American Rivers shined on the health of the Potomac River in its “America’s Most Endangered Rivers” report last week. Since the passing of the Clean Water Act 40 years ago, we have made great progress in eliminating some of the more visible pollution entering the Nation’s River. But clearly there is much more to be done. Today, many of the pollutants in the Potomac arrive indirectly, rather than out of an industrial pipe. These contaminants are delivered through products and practices that are ingrained in our lifestyles: meat products shot full of antibiotics and steroids, vegetables sprayed with herbicides and pesticides, a variety of potentially harmful household cleaning products, shampoos, deodorants and common pharmaceuticals. Although these are the ingredients of our daily lives, they are also a recipe for disaster — silent pollutants to the Potomac and the communities that pull their drinking water from the river. More obvious is the polluted runoff that inundates streams after rainstorms. These sediment-laden waters carry the toxins of our developed world straight into the river — oil, lawn chemicals, sediment and more. What goes around comes around, as they say, and the longer we defer our river cleanup, the harder we have to work and the more we will pay to keep ahead of the public health consequences of living near, and drinking from, a polluted waterway. The good news, however, is that the nature of this threat means there is much individuals can do to help clean the water. We recommend the following recipe for a healthy Potomac River: ●Add more green space to street and home plans. ●Reduce the use of pavement, and plant trees and shrubs instead of lawns. ●Eliminate the use of fertilizer or limit its use to the fall. ●Use rain barrels and other techniques to collect rainwater. ●Do not flush old medications down the toilet. ●Buy unscented personal hygiene products. ●Support local, organic farms. ●Be active to protect where you live and what you love. Support strong and sensible clean water policies, and demand enforcement of clean water laws. Important action can be taken at the municipal level, too. This year, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) has set a goal of making the Potomac clean enough for children to swim in and healthy enough that fish pulled from it can be eaten. This is a tremendous long-term commitment to better river health. On the opposite shore, Arlington County has implemented its Green Streets program to address the problem of polluted stormwater runoff. This project turns a typical streetscape into a healthy green filter that stops stormwater in its tracks and gives it time to settle before entering local waterways. Such green street and building designs can break down pollutants before reaching streams and turn unwanted runoff into beneficial groundwater. A key ingredient in the recipe is sufficient investment. Maryland’s General Assembly recently enacted a funding initiative to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff. The legislation requires nine counties and Baltimore City to establish a watershed protection and restoration program to raise revenue to clean local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Montgomery County already has a stormwater fee in place. Local governments will charge property owners a fee based on the amount of pavement on their properties. The affected counties and municipalities will have until July 1, 2013, to implement a watershed protection and restoration program. Water is a critical pathway in the delivery of many contaminants to humans. Our organizations see the recent Most Endangered River designation as an opportunity to invite people to join us in helping to continue to clean up and protect the Nation’s River. Until people can swim in the Potomac or eat the fish out of our river without risking their health, there will be much work to do. The writers are, respectively, the presidents of the Potomac Conservancy and Potomac Riverkeeper. **More Local Opinions:** David Alpert: One city, after all James R. Phippard: A hatchet job on my trees Joan E. Beilstein: The meaning of marriage equality ****

Oil sheen found in the Potomac River appears to have dissipated

U.S. Coast Guard officials said Friday that the oil sheen spotted in portions of the Potomac River over the past two days, coating some wildlife, appears to have subsided. Coast Guard Lt. David Ruhlig, who is leading the multi-agency investigation into the spill, said the sheen has largely dissipated and is now limited to the area around Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary in Arlington. The oil sheen was first discovered Wednesday afternoon. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a nonprofit organization that monitors the river, was one of the first to sound the alarm. In a statement Friday, it said that it was “extremely concerned about the spill” and called on authorities to “investigate and prosecute the party responsible for this ongoing pollution of our nation’s river.” At least 18 geese and a duck have been discovered covered in oil at Roaches Run, just north of Reagan National Airport, and elsewhere in the Potomac River watershed. Virginia environmental officials said Friday that they are investigating the cause of the oil sheen. About 13,500 gallons of mineral oil leaked from a Dominion Virginia Power company transformer station late last month, but state officials said it was too early to tell whether that was the cause of the river contamination. William Hayden, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), said his department is working with the Coast Guard and Maryland environmental officials to determine the cause. “We just don’t know” that the Dominion leak is the cause, Hayden said. “We’re trying to sort that out, but it’s taking a little time.” A Dominion Power spokesman said the sheen does not appear to be connected to the earlier oil spill, most of which has been cleaned up. “We have no evidence to indicate it’s from a recent mineral oil spill at a Dominion substation,” David Botkins, the spokesman, said in a statement. “We have conducted an exhaustive cleanup of the spill in coordination with local, state and federal officials. We will continue to work closely with the local, state and federal officials.” A DEQ report says the storm-water systems near Roaches Run were inspected Thursday and no oil sheen was evident. However, the report states, the department received numerous calls about oil seen in various portions of both the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

A Watershed Moment

Lee Cain talks about the Anacostia River the way a rock star or rapper might hype a new album. “It’s about to blow up,” he says. As the director of recreation for the Anacostia Watershed Society, a 24-year-old nonprofit organization devoted to restoring the “other” river that flows through the District, Cain is a bit biased. But that doesn’t mean he’s not right. A confluence of projects is set to make the banks and waters of the Anacostia some of the most attractive real estate in town for those looking to exercise. None of it would be possible without the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, a path that’s beckoning cyclists, joggers and strollers to wind their way along both sides of the river.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University The D.C. Department of Transportation has opened 12 miles of the 20-mile project, and work is set to begin on the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens segment, a 4-mile stretch that will connect Benning Road to Maryland’s Bladensburg Trail by 2015. That’s likely to be the most scenic part of the route and the most significant: It will link up to more than 40 miles of trails in Maryland.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University As folks are finally finding their way to the river, they’re learning that it’s pretty easy to get on it, too. The Anacostia Community Boathouse regularly hosts 1,000 athletes in clubs and teams. And now other docks are popping up to help meet the demand for water sports — and make them more readily available to casual users.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University “We’re public access to the water,” says Nicholas Verrochi, manager of the Ball Park Boathouse, which became the District’s first kayak rental concession on the Anacostia when it opened July 20.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University Several additional spots could offer access soon, says Cain, who has been preparing a map of the Anacostia Water Trail. “This will show you where you can access it and experience it,” Cain says of his trail guide, set to be published any day now. One place Cain would like to see another boat option is in the 11th Street Bridge Park, a D.C. Office of Planning project that’s slated to be completed in 2017. The city is building a new bridge between Capitol Hill and Anacostia Park, leaving the existing bridge behind.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University “So this is an opportunity to rethink how we reuse this architecture,” says Scott Kratz, director of the park project. The goal is to build a linear park on the old bridge that will incorporate active recreation, environmental education and the arts. Ideas being explored include a ropes course, rock-climbing walls and zip lines. What will end up at the site depends on which design wins a competition this fall. But fitness will play a key role, Kratz says, as the park has potential to stitch the community together through activity. Another potential fitness opportunity along the river is at RFK Stadium. A residents group is pushing to turn the sea of parking lots into a community sports facility peppered with playing fields and park space. The group, the Friends of Capitol Riverside Youth Sports Park, envisions a family-friendly amenity that would also reduce stormwater runoff problems caused by all the asphalt.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University If the city successfully woos the Redskins to that site, though, their games would require that parking. Though some projects are still up in the air or works in progress, swing by the Yards Park on a Friday night this summer to glimpse the river’s future. Kids are splashing around in the fountains, couples are dancing to live music and dogs are walking their owners — all with a picturesque view of the Anacostia River.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University A short stroll across the footbridge to Diamond Teague Park brings you to a free catch-and-release fishing lesson with the Earth Conservation Corps and Anacostia Riverkeeper. Standing nearby is Brent Ferrell, who’s overseeing the rainbow of kayaks available for rent at the Ball Park Boathouse.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University “Five years ago, I never would have wanted to come here,” Ferrell says. “Trash was everywhere. Now we have osprey nesting.” The birds are evidence that efforts to clean up the Anacostia are having an impact, says Kellie Bolinder, executive director of Earth Conservation Corps. Establishing more recreational activities will speed this process along, she says. “We just need to get people down here,” she says. “You need to know something to love it.” And the Anacostia needs a lot of love. The Sustainable DC plan, a 20-year blueprint for greening the District, aims to make the river swimmable and fishable by 2032. Because of continued pollution from stormwater runoff, that pristine vision is still pretty far off.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University But every cleanup project brings it a little closer, which is part of the reason BicycleSPACE incorporated one on Kingman Island into a recent Saturday outing. Group rides frequent the Anacostia trail, says Erik Kugler, co-owner of the Mount Vernon Square bike shop. “When we opened three years ago, there were only two or three stretches of trail,” Kugler says. “We had to cross railroad tracks on foot and scramble up muddy embankments.” He can’t wait for the trail to be completed, and neither can Cain, who is eager for more people to experience the beauty of the river. At one of Cain’s organization’s Paddle Nights this month at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, Lark Catoe-Emerson shepherded her two sons along the dock. The 30-year-old Ward 7 resident didn’t have the nicest perception of the river. (“I’ve heard about dead bodies,” she said.)    *[WSU]: Wayne State University Her view shifted within minutes when the three set off in a canoe toward a blue heron fishing on the opposite bank. Another creature worth spotting on the river? Gabe Horchler, a 69-year-old Cheverly, Md., resident who commutes to the Library of Congress on the Anacostia by boat and bike. “There’s plenty of room for more paddlers and cyclists,” Horchler says. At least for now. -The Anacostia Watershed Society (anacostiaws.org) hosts free Paddle Nights every Thursday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 10. The event cycles among four locations — Anacostia Community Boathouse, Gangplank Marina, Kenilworth Park and Bladensburg Park — to give participants a chance to see several sections of the river. No experience is necessary to try canoeing or kayaking. Check the online schedule for details.   *[WSU]: Wayne State University -The newly opened Ball Park Boathouse (ballparkboathouse.com) offers kayak rentals from Diamond Teague Park, next to Nationals Park. It’s $15 per hour for a single kayak and $20 per hour for a double kayak. Hours this season are from 2 to 8 p.m. Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends. Expect more programs, including tours and lessons, in 2014.   *[WSU]: Wayne State University On Sept. 7, the District Department of Transportation will host the Local 11th Street Bridge Celebration from noon to 3 p.m. The event will include music, food trucks and info about the project, which features a 14-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle path that connects with the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Attendees can talk with representatives of the 11th Street Bridge Park about the potential for active recreation on that site. Get more details at anacostiawaterfront.org/11thStreetBridge.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University

The boiler may fail, rafters may crack; Alexandria’s City Hall needs cash now

The history-proud town of Alexandria, Va., learned last week that some of its oldest buildings are in danger of structural, electrical or heating system failure, and repairs and renovations could cost up to $272 million. A year-long study of just 36 of the city’s 123 facilities turned up evidence of an aging boiler “that could go any day,” unsupported rafters, steel windows that leak cold and hot air, and 143-year-old mortar binding a brick wall. And that’s just in City Hall. The problems “are not a life-safety issue or [proof] that a building’s going to come crashing down at any minute,” Alfred Coleman, deputy director of the city’s Department of General Services, said in an interview. But without investment, repair or renovation, facilities will continue to deteriorate, and those now ranked as below average or average could slip into more critical circumstances, the report said. Experts say the buildings’ condition is a result of delayed maintenance after years of tight budgets due to the recession and federal budget cuts. It is a problem being seen in localities across the United States. In a 2013 assessment of the nation’s infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) said cities, counties, states and the nation have fallen far behind where they should be. Virginia as a whole received a grade of C-minus, or just barely mediocre, with roads and wastewater infrastructure ranked as poor. “It’s a problem we all face,” said Brian Pallasch, ASCE’s managing director of government relations and infrastructure initiatives. “If you forgo maintenance, you end up in the long run with a larger bill. What we’ve seen nationwide is that we need to focus some spending on our infrastructure . . . because we actually pay for that bad infrastructure every day in lost time, lost productivity and lost GDP.” Alexandria has yet to survey all its facilities — fire stations and recreation centers were not included in the 2015 assessment, for example — but among those it did study, eight buildings were ranked with an F grade, and seven received a grade of D. The grades, Coleman said, take into account each site’s condition, divided by the value of the building. The city’s fuel island at Duke and Wheeler streets, where city vehicles go to gas up, failed the assessment because rotting electrical service conduits lie beneath the pumps. The city courthouse, at 520 King St., ranked below average because of an aging heating and air conditioning systems and roof. (See the full report at wapo.st/axdecay.) A dozen of the city-owned properties are more than a century old, and five are more than 200 years old. Eight of them — of varying ages — could have critical systems fail at any point, said Jeremy McPike, the city’s director of general services. City Council members, briefed on the situation last week, worried about the cost of bringing the facilities up to a merely average level. Only $56 million has been set aside in the capital improvement project budget for these types of repairs, and addressing them all could cost triple that budget, or more. Repairs at City Hall alone would take $53 million, the city’s facilities staff estimated. Last year, the condition of City Hall became a campaign issue after then-Mayor William D. Euille (D) suggested that it could be so expensive to fix that the city should consider selling or leasing the property to a developer and moving the seat of government out of Old Town, to a place more central to most Alexandrians. He later said he had no intention of selling City Hall. Mayor Allison Silberberg (D), who brought up the issue during her campaign against Euille, argued that repairs should be taken slowly. “Just as I do fixes in my condo, I don’t do everything at once,” she told the council last week at a meeting in City Hall, which was built in 1871. “I just ate in Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant. It’s functional. We’re in this building right now, and it’s functional.” City Hall has a 70-year-old gas-fired boiler that should have been replaced 40 years ago, according to the city report. Its 56-year-old steel windows have a replacement cost of $470,000, and 143-year-old mortar holding a brick wall together will cost $3.6 million to repair. Portions of the building will probably have to be gutted, McPike told the council, and it will cost about $12.5 million to relocate offices while work is underway. Vice Mayor Justin Wilson (D) said the council should listen to the city’s professional staff and assess all the city’s infrastructure needs before making “a huge, gigantic capital investment in this building.” Other council members agreed, though they and Wilson were careful to note that they were not advocating selling or demolishing City Hall. Council member Paul Smedberg (D) called the condition of the building “a disgrace” and “appalling.” “Forget about whether the windows work,” Smedberg said. “There are serious structural issues with this building.”

City planners are increasingly aware of health benefits of clean, living landscapes

Standing on the edge of the Anacostia River, with the disused piers of the old 11th Street Bridge in front of him, Scott Kratz says he doesn’t yet know what the four design teams will propose for a new urban park on the site. The finalists have until September to submit drawings for the competition. But one thing is certain: The winning team will address public health issues as one of the central features of the park, which will reuse the old bridge piers to span the river and connect neighborhoods that have vastly different economic, demographic and health profiles. Communities east of the river have the highest incidence of obesity in the District, and higher rates of Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, says Kratz, who is leading the $35 million private initiative. Unlike those on the largely gentrified west side of the river, Anacostia residents lack easy access to fresh food, supermarkets and green space. The bridge park is inspired by the enormously successful High Line Park in New York and the Atlanta BeltLine park system, which reuse obsolete urban infrastructure to create “linear parks” with significant public health benefits. **Health Beyond Health Care: A Special Report ** And so the park, slated to open in 2018, will include play areas to attract users of all ages and physical abilities; spaces for yoga, Zumba and dance; and perhaps a farmers market or urban garden. It also will connect Washingtonians to the Anacostia River and its ecosystem, which some studies show could have a significant impact on residents’ mental health and well-being. The 11th Street Bridge park is part of an increasing awareness among city leaders nationwide about the degree to which urban design affects health. The basic connection isn’t new: Urban designers in the 19th century responded to appalling mortality rates from infectious diseases by creating better systems for sanitation and fresh water, and drafted building codes that alleviated overcrowding and mandated access to natural light and air for tenement dwellers. Many of this country’s most beloved urban parks were also created during the 19th century, to offer the working class access to recreation, exercise and natural beauty. “They didn’t have the science behind it that we do now,” says Nancy Somerville, chief executive of the American Society of Landscape Architects, which has embraced the tenets of healthy design as fundamental to its mission. “But the whole vision was grounded in the need to have access to a clean, healthy, living landscape.” The health concerns are different now. Chronic ailments, such diabetes and heart disease, and lifestyle issues such as obesity, have replaced infectious disease as the major health worries plaguing our sedentary society. And not surprisingly, the urban planning challenges have changed, too. Today, the design buzzwords are all about connectivity, linear parks and “complete streets”— with shared space for walking, biking and ready access to transit. Urban planners are working hard to invert the basic urban-suburban relationship of the past century, encouraging people to live more densely, with a smaller environmental footprint, and lifestyles that are more socially and physically engaged with the built and natural environments. “We are looking at an avalanche of chronic disease,” says Richard Jackson, a doctor whom many credit with pioneering the field of wellness design. Jackson began championing the connections between design and health more than 15 years ago, when he served as head of the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although it may have made sense, he argues, to disperse our population out to the suburbs in the decades after the World War II, the ill-effects of living in a world designed around automobiles are piling up rapidly. “We have engineered activity out of American life,” he says. A generation ago, architects were worried about “sick buildings”— poisoning us with toxic materials or poor ventilation. Today they are changing our physical engagement with buildings, nudging us toward the stairs, forcing us to walk a bit farther to use the microwave or the restroom. They are studying how we relate to windows, ambient temperature, and the pervasive noise of heating and cooling systems, with powerful new tools to quantify and evaluate what were once just hunches about what makes buildings agreeable to humans. All of this is part of an even larger concern about the fundamental design of the world we live in, from how we structure our businesses, our nonprofit organizations and the habits of daily life — whether that’s our experience in the lunchroom, our relationship to media and entertainment, or how we get food from farm to table. If Jackson is credited with jump-starting the conversation, former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I) may ultimately be credited with moving those ideas outside the ivory tower of think tanks and schools of public health. Although Bloomberg was widely derided in 2013 during his effort to limit the size of sugary soft drinks sold in New York, the impact of his 12-year administration on healthy design has been quiet but pervasive. In 2010, New York City issued its Active Design Guidelines, which have helped set a national standard for rethinking the built environment. “It is an amazing piece of work from a government agency,” says Mary Fitch, head of the American Institute of Architects chapter in Washington, D.C. The strength of the document, experts say, is its consistent connection of design ideas to reliable public health data, and its input from representatives of the city’s departments of design and construction, health and mental hygiene, transportation and planning. Rick Bell, head of the AIA’s New York chapter, said the roundtable approach allowed for the incorporation of what may have seemed, in isolation, to be counterintuitive ideas. He cites the importance of benches for walkers. “People won’t walk unless they feel they have a resting place along the trajectory.” The New York AIA has partnered with the city to sponsor annual “Fit City” symposiums, which have helped disseminate the guidelines to a national audience. In many ways, the Active Design Guidelines are a frontal attack on how architecture and urban design were practiced for at least 50 years after World War II. The standard mid-century office building — accessed by car from a far-flung suburb — was designed around the elevator core, with large floor plates that isolated people from windows. Windows were fixed in place, and energy-inefficient systems did the work of climate control. “The era from about 1945 to probably around 1995 is chock-full of some of the worst buildings ever built,” says Carl Elefante of Quinn Evans Architects, which specializes in historic preservation and sustainable design. Architects of that era, he says, assumed that essentially unlimited energy resources could be found to sustain a “grid” of “plugged-in buildings.” When it came to their effect on wellness, it was simply assumed that people would adapt to the building, not the other way around. The recently opened new home for George Washington University’s School of Public Health exemplifies how much has changed since then. Designed by the Boston-based Payette firm, the Milken Institute building is structured around an open atrium crisscrossed by attractive staircases rising to the top floor. Elevators have been placed behind an opaque partition wall in the lobby, and the doors are timed to close slowly — a small psychological deterrent to their regular use by the able-bodied. By lowering the standard distance between floors from 14 or 15 feet to 12 feet, architect Peter Vieira says, the designers were able to add a floor, which gave them greater flexibility to configure the interior. They designed stairs without landings and lower rising treads, which made them more attractive to users. They opened up internal spaces to more light, added an internal garden, and created areas near windows for students to gather, study and mingle. Vending machines in these social spaces sell only healthful snacks. Lynn Goldman, dean of the school, works from a standing desk, a feature present in all the faculty offices. She says the school has tried to provide as many bicycle racks as possible. Although the windows don’t open — Washington’s environment is too extreme, its air too full of pollen, its urban landscape too noisy — the quiet interior climate system uses filtered outside air. She also cites aesthetics as playing a major role in how people use buildings. “You can try to brainwash people to take the stairs,” she says, but if the staircase is “dirty and it’s unpleasant, and it’s the last place you want to spend time, you’re not likely to go to the trouble of using it.” Aesthetics may turn out to be the most important factor when it comes to reconfiguring the urban environment. People fled to the leafy suburbs in the middle of the past century because it offered an attractive, compelling vision of the good life. Many people also found the modernist office building, with its banks of elevators and austere interior spaces, intoxicatingly beautiful. It modeled the future for a society that believed in limitless progress. It also may be a crisis in the aesthetics of contemporary architecture that is driving more firms to think about the interrelated issues of sustainability and healthy design. In the past 20 years, there has been a breakdown in agreement about what constitutes beautiful architecture, whether it should look modern or post-modern, revert to traditional forms or explore wild new sculptural possibilities. Unsure about what the new “ism” will be, architects are thinking more about fundamentals of how buildings should serve us. Aesthetics are subjective, and much of what is appealing about healthy design, and projects such as the 11th Street Bridge park, is grounded in a particular social vision of the good life: that cities can be beautiful and that diversity, interconnectedness, social engagement and mobility are essential to a full and rich existence. But not everyone loves cities, American individualism runs deep and resistance to social engineering is pervasive, as the widespread mockery of smaller beverage sizes in New York demonstrated last year. “Give people choices,” is the mantra of the healthy design movement. But healthy design isn’t only about choices. Sometimes there are nudges, and some may feel a touch of coercion. So one prominent designer adds a caveat: “The best design is invisible.” **Related:** After hurricane, new way to eat for New Orleans Experts speak: Improving our health without doctors or pills Streets are no longer just for cars

Editor’s note: The tides are changing for waterfront development

If and when I ever move, I want my next home to be near water. I can think of little more serene than to live in a place where my private Muzak is the gurgling of a stream, the running of a river or the rhythmic crash of ocean waves. One of my first stories as a cub reporter in Alexandria back in the early 1980s was to spend a week walking the Potomac waterfront; this in the days before the Torpedo Factory Art Center would bring new energy to Old Town. I’ll never forget the colorful cast of characters I encountered, particularly one memorable group swimming underneath a giant pipe spilling what appeared to be sudsy water near a coal-fired power plant. Why would you swim here?, I asked. Because the water’s warmer, came the answer. Oh. Years later, when I was the local business editor, I commissioned a story previewing the renaissance coming to Washington’s riverfront. In those days, the future was mostly plans on paper for new snazzy developments at Prince George’s National Harbor, Alexandria (again), D.C.’s Southwest Waterfront and along the banks of the Anacostia River by Nationals Park. We took a staff field trip the Potomac one crisp day to see the sites before they changed. You get a different perspective of the city out on the water; the rivers are no longer just some barrier to commute across, but a world unto themselves, a place where the pace just slows. Anyway, the story proved to be premature. The Great Recession intervened, and financing dried up. I laugh at a line in our report that suggested development was certain because there was no where left to build (this before the rise of NoMa, the reinvention of Tysons, and the migration back to the urban core). Oh well. Any prediction can come true if you just wait long enough. Big, new projects are beckoning, as our cover story on the Southwest Waterfront last week showed. It’s won’t be long before we have a Ferris wheel turning at National Harbor and the Francis Case Memorial Bridge near the Southwest Waterfront is lit up with lights like London’s Tower Bridge during the 2012 Summer Olympics. And when that happens, our waterways won’t be the same.

We’re totally mismanaging the Mississippi River basin — and it’s costing us

In a first-of-its-kind study, the American Watershed Initiative gave the Mississippi River basin, the fourth largest in the world, its first report card – and it probably won’t be going up on the fridge.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico After five years of research, meetings, and symposiums — which brought together 700 people representing 400 organizations to analyze the basin’s water supply, transportation, flood control, economy, recreation, and ecosystem health – the Initiative gave the Mississippi River watershed an overall grade of D+, concluding that increased funding is needed to better manage the watershed. “Unless we as a population get behind supporting improvements behind the Mississippi River system, we’ll never get the political support for it and we’ll never be able to make changes,” said Larry Weber of the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa. The Mississippi River watershed encompasses thousands of miles of waterways in 31 states and two Canadian provinces – stretching from Montana to Pennsylvania, Minnesota to Louisiana. They all ultimately drain into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. According to the report, the system is used to produce more than half of the United States’ goods and services and generates a fourth of the country’s hydropower. And here’s where it fared particularly badly: **Transportation.** Of the six areas analyzed, transportation was given the lowest individual grade: D-. Heath Kelsey of the University of Maryland, the Initiative’s project lead, said that between two and three percent of the watershed’s locks – which regulate water levels to help ships travel along rivers – are in disrepair.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico “Two to three percent of the infrastructure in failing or near-failing condition is a big deal,” Kelsey said. “Because the system is really connected. If one of the locks fail, it could have a cascading effect on the [rivers’] transportation systems.” $54 billion in agricultural products are transported through the basin’s waterways annually, according to the report, encompassing 92 percent of the United States’ farm exports. **Water quality.** The overall quality of the water supply also received a low grade. The Initiative identified the growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico as a watershed-wide problem that needs to be addressed. Excess nutrients, particularly nitrates, draining into the Gulf deplete the water of oxygen, damaging the ecosystem.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico “It’s pretty obvious that the [dead zone] has not decreased over the years,” said Nancy Rabalais, Executive Director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. “The low oxygen is getting worse in severity and duration. So there is very strong evidence that the system, especially since the [1970s], has been exposed to low oxygen conditions probably each summer.” Tackling the Gulf’s dead zone will begin upstream with plans to reduce the amount of nutrients draining into the basin’s waterways. “The nitrate concentration loads started going up in the [1950s], coinciding with fertilizer use in the watershed,” Rabalais said. “The high nutrients that are affecting the Gulf area are also affecting water quality in the watershed. It’s not just a Gulf problem, it’s a watershed problem.” The Ohio and Tennessee River basin – one of the six sub-basins that make up the Mississippi River watershed – received one of the lowest individual grades for water quality. Forbes Walker, a soil scientist at the University of Tennessee, said erosion and soil discharge off of agricultural land are closely tied to the amount of nutrients that particular region dumps into the Gulf. “If we can control soil erosion, we can make great strides in reducing the loads that are going into the rivers and thereby into the Gulf,” Walker said. “We don’t consider ourselves to be one of the big [contributors], but that’s not to say we shouldn’t address it.” ******Flood Control.** On flood control, which also received a low grade, Kelsey said the Initiative found that the Mississippi basin’s levees are in poor condition, and the population of people living in floodplains is only increasing.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico “Those things together add up to not such great news,” Kelsey said. Unless measures are taken to prevent or better prepare communities for levee breaches, floods like the one that hit Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2008 could become more frequent. In June of that year, heavy rains caused the swollen Cedar River to burst through the city’s levees, flooding 14 percent of the city and prompting the evacuation of some 24,000 people. “Each decade as we add more data, we start realizing that these levees in some places are underbuilt,” Larry Weber said. “And we have to continue to fortify those levees – and that’s expensive.” ****    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico America’s Watershed Initiative, which unveiled the report card in St. Louis on Wednesday, called for increased funding to tackle the watershed’s problems – to the tune of $1 billion annually. “We really need to increase the investment in the Mississippi River Basin,” the Initiative’s Executive Director Jordy Jordahl said. “From local, state, federal, and private funds.”

Bowser names Tommy Wells director of D.C. Environment Department

_Updated 4:10 p.m._    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico Mayor-elect Muriel E. Bowser (D) tapped a familiar face Friday to run her Department of the Environment: D.C. Council colleague and former mayoral campaign rival Tommy Wells. “I’m committed to sustainable practices, and … I’m committed to a focus on our waterways and how we transform them, especially the Anacostia River, and so for all of those reasons, Tommy Wells is my man at the Department of the Environment,” Bowser said, announcing the pick at the construction site of a new environmentally friendly building in Southwest Washington. Wells, 57, is relinquishing the Ward 6 seat on Jan. 2 after eight years, having given up a likely third term to seek the Democratic mayoral nomination. He finished third in the April 1 Democratic primary behind Bowser and outgoing Mayor Vincent C. Gray. After the primary, he emdorsed Bowser and became a strong supporter, helping her outpoll independent David A. Catania in Wells’s closely contested home ward. In remarks Friday, Wells noted he will become the first former D.C. Council member to serve in a mayoral Cabinet position. “One of the greatest challenges facing America if not the planet is to have sustainable cities, resilient cities as we go forward,” he said. “As a lifelong fisherman, as someone who keeps a canoe down on the Anacostia River, I could not be more thrilled to have this role in the nation’s capital.” Wells, a former child social worker for the city, built his reputation as a council member as a champion for “livable, walkable neighborhoods” — advocating car-free lifestyles and pushing for public transit investments. But on the environmental front, he is best-known as the political architect of the city’s 5-cent disposable bag tax, which environmental advocates have credited with reducing trash in city waterways. Wells will replace Keith Anderson, who took over the environmental agency in 2012 after Gray dismissed director Christoph Tulou. Prominent environmental groups in the city raised questions about Tulou’s firing, and many advocates never quite warmed to Anderson.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday   *[UNM]: University of New Mexico Mike Bolinder of Anacostia Riverkeeper said his group had a productive relationship with Anderson, whom he praised, but said Wells’s appointment was welcome given his leadership on water issues while on the council — even if Wells has never served as a high-ranking government administrator. “If they say Tommy’s not a technocrat, he’s a visionary, that’s okay because there are plenty of great administrators there,” he said. “They’ve got great lawyers, they’ve got great scientists, and they’ve got great managers. I hope most of that great staff will stay.” Bowser already has named several members of her senior management staff, including Rashad M. Young as city administrator, Kevin Donahue as his deputy, and two deputy mayors: Jennie Niles overseeing education and Brenda Donald overseeing health and human services.

What about the neighbors across the river?

I read with astonishment “Buy a dreamed-up home” in the Feb. 28 Reliable Source column. My jaw dropped not at the $45 million price tag for the proposed 30,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom, 12.5-bathroom, faux-chateau-style pile to be erected on the bluffs of the Potomac in McLean. Nor at the unholy alliance between a Hong Kong tycoon in league with a local developer to build such a monstrosity. Oversize, overpriced and tasteless homes constructed for “a very specific buyer” with surplus bank balances and aesthetic deficits — such is par for the course for that unfortunate, unprotected bank of the river. Rather, my astonishment was at that developer’s assumption that, since this massive McMansion will be sited on a six-acre wooded lot facing the water, it would not bother any “VIP” McLean neighbors prone to sue him, and thus he’s “not anticipating a problem with this lot.” What about us poor neighbors across the river in Maryland? We’re the ones who are forced to look at these institutionally sized edifices in all their pseudo-splendor. Almost invariably, in order to show off the prize view of the river that their very houses blight, these developers and homeowners deforest the hillside down to the river. To add insult to that injury, they even illuminate their clear-cut vistas at night with gigantic floodlights, which shine like a full moon into our Montgomery County bedroom windows. The Potomac River’s valley from Chain Bridge to Cabin John Bridge and beyond is a beautiful hunk of near-wilderness smack in the middle of an urban environment, and I understand why people would want to have their houses there. But it needs to be properly protected from needless rapaciousness by far stricter conservation easements by federal, state and local governments — not just lawsuits from rich and cranky neighbors. ****Dan Wittenberg** , Bethesda**

Beating back the English ivy invasion of the District

In his March 2 Local Opinions commentary, “D.C.’s trees are in the fight of their lives,” Robert E. Hunter rightly identified English ivy as a threat to the District’s tree canopy. This invasive vine is smothering trees across the city, on private and public land alike. The spread of invasive species is not a new problem, but it is a growing one with economic and environmental consequences. Rock Creek Conservancy has joined forces with the National Park Service, the D.C. Department of the Environment and several local conservation organizations to remove invasive plants throughout the District. Since 2012, Rock Creek Conservancy volunteers have removed English ivy from more than 4,400 trees in Rock Creek Park. Some sections have been virtually cleared, including the Melvin Hazen and Soapstone Valley parks. One of our partners, the Anacostia Watershed Society, has made significant gains around the Anacostia River and is engaging volunteers in its work to restore the ecology of the river. We want to free every tree in Rock Creek Park from English ivy and educate residents about how to identify and control the vine throughout the region. We invite Mr. Hunter and concerned residents to join our campaign and volunteer with us. Consider removing English ivy from your property. Learn more about native alternatives from the Virginia Native Plant Society. This is a problem that we can solve, and Rock Creek Conservancy and its partners are determined to do so. ****Alex Sanders** , Bethesda** The writer is a program manager for Rock Creek Conservancy.

DC Water unveils giant tunneling machine to help cut sewage spills during rainstorms

It will eventually stretch longer than a football field and, when finished, will have burrowed through four miles of clay beneath the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, leaving behind a tunnel so big it could hold two tractor-trailers stacked on top of each other. The enormous tunnel-boring machine, nicknamed “Lady Bird,” made its debut Tuesday at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, where DC Water officials heralded it as part of a plan to significantly reduce the amount of raw sewage that flows into local rivers and basements during rainstorms. The four-mile tunnel will start beneath the Potomac at the treatment plant just north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and then dig beneath the Anacostia, ending near Nationals Park. It will become part of a 12.8-mile tunnel, scheduled for completion in 2022, that will serve as an enormous holding tank during rainstorms. The rain-sewage mixture that now overwhelms older sewer pipes and overflows into waterways and basements will instead be held in the big tunnel. Once the storm subsides, the rain-sewage mixture will flow downhill to the treatment plant. “We’ll capture all of it,” said George S. Hawkins, DC Water’s general manager. “This is the most significant improvement in water quality in the Anacostia, Potomac and Rock Creek in a generation.” DC Water officials say it will be the largest tunneling effort in the District since the Metrorail system was built. The work is part of DC Water’s $2.6 billion “Clean Rivers Project” to cut sewer overflows by about 96 percent by 2025. The problem stems from the fact that, as in some other older cities, one-third of the District’s sewer pipes also carry rainwater runoff. (In the rest of the city, stormwater is carried away in pipes separate from the sewer system.) The District must reduce the sewer overflows as part of a 2005 consent decree related to a federal environmental lawsuit. The rain-sewage mixture also contains animal feces, oil, pesticides and other pollutants that run off lawns and roads, DC Water officials said. The first four-mile section is scheduled to operate in 2018. DC Water officials said the entire 12.8-mile tunnel will extend from the treatment plant to Sixth and R streets NW. They said it will provide permanent relief for neighborhoods such as Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park, where raw sewage has flooded into basements for decades. The gee-whiz enormity of the project wasn’t lost on the dignitaries and hard-hatted utility crews who attended the tunnel-boring machine’s unveiling. Standing in front of the circular “cutter head” spanning 26 feet in diameter, Mayor Vincent C. Gray told the crowd: “When you’re talking about a piece of equipment that’s longer than a football field, it’s just hard to fathom something of that magnitude. . . . It’s just an unbelievable engineering feat.” The tunnel-boring machine was named after Lady Bird Johnson as a tribute to her environmental activism. But the machine also has a notably modern flair. It can be followed on Twitter: @LadyBirdTBM.

Environmental groups to sue WSSC for illegal discharge of pollutants into Potomac River

Three environmental groups have filed a formal notice indicating that they intend to sue the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, alleging that its water treatment plant near Seneca, Md., has been illegally discharging pollutants into the Potomac River for years. The organizations, citing a 2003 letter from a commission official and the plant’s own records, assert that a malfunctioning system installed 10 years ago has regularly forced operators to release mud containing aluminum and phosphorus into the river. According to the notice, which under the Clean Water Act must come 60 days before a lawsuit, the releases violated the plant’s state-issued permit. The WSSC maintains that the permit allowed the discharges, according to a statement from a spokeswoman. At the plant, water drawn from the Potomac is cleaned with chemicals. The purified water is piped to most residents in Montgomery County, while the chemicals and the sediment that have been removed are generally trucked away and disposed of. The plant’s capacity for handling solid material is limited, and operators are allowed to release some of the sediment, along with the chemicals used to purify the water, into the river after heavy rains. Otherwise, the plant would be overwhelmed with sludge. The three organizations — the Environmental Integrity Project, Potomac Riverkeeper and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation — assert that the solid-material treatment operation has been running under capacity. If the plant were operating according to specifications, they claim, the discharges would not have been necessary. Based on the plant’s records, the groups calculate that the facility added between 18 million and 30 million pounds of material to the river over the past four years, beyond what was in the water withdrawn for treatment. “We do like the nice clean water that comes out of the tap,” said Eric Schaeffer, director of the Environmental Integrity Project. “You can put a little less of the residue from treating it into the river.” Cloudy water prevents sunlight from reaching grasses growing on the riverbed, while sediment floating in the river makes it harder for fish to breathe and can smother their eggs when it settles. Aluminum, commonly used in water treatment, can be toxic to fish as well. The plant’s records also document phosphorus discharges, Schaeffer said. Algae feed on phosphorus, leading to the blooms that have blighted the Chesapeake in recent years. Because the sanitary commission is a public utility, its customers will probably have to pay for any improvements at the plant through their water bills. Schaeffer said residents would be able to afford slightly higher rates, pointing to a similar plant in Baltimore where pollution has not been a problem recently. “Baltimore is not the richest city in America,” he said. “They’ve gotten it together and managed to treat their water without the same side effects, and we think Montgomery County can rise to the occasion.” He also noted that plants downriver, such as the Army Corps of Engineers facility at MacArthur Boulevard, which provides drinking water to District residents, must treat the water that the Seneca plant discharges.

Upcoming fitness events: a D.C. gym tax protest and hot on the trails in Maryland

**More Than a Sit-In**    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday D.C.’s proposed 5.75 percent tax on gyms and fitness studios has the city’s exercise community up in (very strong) arms. Roam Fitness’ Graham King has devised an appropriate protest: At noon today, everyone’s invited to surround the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) and do eight burpees — one for each ward. Get more details about the event at facebook.com/groups/saynotodcgymtax.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday **Banner Year for Maryland Trails**    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday Want a family-friendly trip that’s big on recreation, nature and history? “You don’t have to pack kids in the car and go to the Grand Canyon,” says William Pencek, executive director of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday Instead, he recommends visiting Bladensburg Waterfront Park (4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg, Md.). It’s the site of Thursday’s double ribbon-cutting for the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail (starspangledtrail.net) and the Anacostia Water Trail (anacostiaws.org/anacostia-water-trail).    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday Both routes — which connect battlefields, boat docks and bird habitats — provide opportunities to get better acquainted with places many Washingtonians zip by in their daily lives. “We want people to experience the river in more ways,” says Lee Cain, director of recreation for the Anacostia Watershed Society, which kicks off its Paddle Nights series on Friday. (That’s the first of 25 free chances to canoe or kayak along the river. See anacostiaws.org.)    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday There’s yet another reason to celebrate on Saturday: National Trails Day (americanhiking.org/national-trails-day).    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday You Might Also Enjoy: Workouts are free at Anacostia’s ‘Fitness Zone’ gym    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday Anacostia River shapes up as a fitness destination    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday The liberation of Roam    *[WSU]: Wayne State University   *[Tue]: Tuesday   *[Wed]: Wednesday

A water program that’s been thoroughly vetted

The Oct. 23 editorial “Waste, waste everywhere” stated that the authorization system in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act failed “to sort out good projects from the merely mediocre, or even the plainly bad.” This is simply wrong. Under our system, construction projects are recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers’ Chief of Engineers. These projects undergo a detailed technical review by the Corps and are authorized to be carried out in accordance with the chief of engineers’ formal final recommendations. Based on extensive studies, a Chief’s Report (as it’s known) provides a detailed description of the need for construction, a justification of feasibility and estimated costs, including federal and non-federal costs. Notably, of the projects that enter the Corps’ study process, only 15 percent result in a Chief’s Report. These are the “high and specific tests before qualifying for authorization” that the editorial called for. We are proud that the act contains no earmarks and more than fully offsets new authorizations by eliminating $12 billion in old, inactive projects. Fundamentally, this bill is about jobs and strengthening America’s competitiveness. For these reasons, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act passed the House 417-3. ****Bill Shuster and Nick J. Rahall II,** Washington** Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.) is the committee’s ranking Democrat.

Good reasons to avoid using plastic

With the new ban on District restaurants’ use of polystyrene plastics, the Anacostia River will look better, and we will suffer less air pollution from the incineration of this kind of trash. But this kind of plastic is still in use for other purposes. It’s hard to find ways to recycle many forms of plastic. Banning take-out foam plastic is a fantastic step, but there are many more plastics that are troubling in addition to the foam clamshells and cups. Many plastics harm us, harm wildlife and pollute the river, and they should be recycled or banned. I hate to witness plastics of any kind being thrown away because in the District that means they will be incinerated.  Plastics, when burned, emit dioxins, which cause cancer. Residents and visitors should know that throwing plastic into the trash results in a plume of toxic smoke they may inhale later. We don’t have adequate recycling by far. The District captures less than a third of what it should be able to recycle; that means that more than two-thirds of all recyclables end up as trash. And in the District, that trash is burned into a sticky, black, powdery haze. ****Donald W. Stephenson** , Washington**