The Potomac River in Washington, D.C. received its highest-ever health rating in 2015, peaking at “B-” in a new report from the Potomac Conservancy, a group focused on improving the water quality in the “national river.”
It’s the first time in the biennial report’s nine-year history that the river has been rated above a “C” grade, making it the only major Chesapeake Bay tributary that has achieved short-term and long-term nutrient reductions.
“Our hometown river — the source of drinking water for nearly 5 million residents — is worth saving. We’ve made tremendous progress towards achieving our goal of a fishable, swimmable Potomac by 2025. But the Potomac is not in the clear yet,” Hedrick Belin, president of Potomac Conservancy, said in a Wednesday statement.
Researchers attributed the river’s improved condition to declining levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment. Shad, white perch and other common game fish have begun to make a comeback.
“Shad in the Potomac River had been on the decline for decades, but now their populations exceed the federal restoration goal. Strong public involvement programs, including dozens of Washington area schools where students hatched and released shad into the River, contributed to the recovery,” Jim Cummins, director of Living Resources at the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, said.
Despite the record-high score, analysts cited concerns over polluted urban runoff that is the only growing source of pollution to the Potomac.
Analysts also credited the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan as well as Maryland and Virginia’s ban on phosphorous in most law fertilizers for the improvement in the river.
