Groups seek guarantee for Anacostia cleanup from Pepco

Environmental groups are crying foul on an agreement reached between the District and Pepco that they say doesn’t go far enough to protect the Anacostia River from contamination. Natural Resources Defense Council, Anacostia Riverkeeper and the Anacostia Watershed Society plan to seek an injunction in U.S. Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday, seeking what they say should be a stronger agreement for river cleanup at the energy company’s Benning Road facility.

The consent decree reached in February requires Pepco to conduct an environmental study of the area and determine the company’s role in contaminating the water with PCBs. But it doesn’t actually contain any provisions to clean up the site, the groups say.