Work began Tuesday on a large project to clean up the polluted Anacostia River.
The project will clear an unregulated landfill from a 50-acre site on the river’s eastern bank in Prince George’s County near U.S. Route 50. Wetlands and woodlands will replace the dump. The effort is part of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project’s environmental-improvement requirements. Pollution flowed from the landfill, which was used during the first half of the 20th century, into the river.
“Ninety percent of tidal wetlands in the Anacostia watershed have been lost,” Wilson Bridge Project Environmental Mitigation Manager Pat DiNicola said. “Alone, this project will increase the acreage of tidal wetlands in the Anacostia watershed by nearly 20 percent.”
Before the woodlands can be created, 330,000 cubic yards of debris, polluted soil and other material will be moved to a new sanitary facility that will prevent the material from further polluting the environment.
About 85,000 wetland plants will be planted on the project site to produce more than 20 acres of tidal wetlands that will provide a habitat for fish and improve the Anacostia’s water quality. The project will also create 4,600 feet of trails throughout the site that will open to the public. Trees will be planted on 14 acres to create a forest on the site.
Work is expected to take about one year to complete.
