The Health of the Nation's River

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson called the Potomac River a "national disgrace." It was full of raw sewage and covered with algae blooms.

"In the early to mid-1970s, there was no largemouth bass fishing in the waters of the Potomac," says Curtis Dalpra, spokesman for the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. "It was a very common scene to be in Alexandria or Hains Point and see a scum of algae pretty much across the river."

Johnson signed the Water Quality Act in 1965, and a group of public and private agencies and commissions began working to improve the health of the river.

Chris Conner of the Chesapeake Bay Program compares cleaning up a river to an overweight person on a diet. "In the '70s, the river was around 335 pounds," he says. "Right now, we're down to about 280. We're doing better, but we still have a lot to do."

When it comes to fishing, there are two different sets of concerns: keeping the water clean enough to support fish habitats and keeping fish free of toxins.

The most progress has been made in the area of fish habitat. Improvements to sewage treatment plants, especially the DC Water and Sewer Authority's Blue Plains facility, and efforts to curtail fertilizer runoff have reduced the levels of phosphorous and nitrogen in the water. Nitrogen and phosphorous fueled the out-of-control algae blooms of the '70s. Algae can be toxic on contact to people and pets, and it chokes off the sunlight needed for the underwater grasses that form fishing habitats.

"We've seen a resurgence in underwater grasses in the Potomac, especially between the Wilson Bridge and the Key Bridge," Conner says. "Clearer water leads to better grass beds, which leads to better fishing."

Dalpra says Washington, Maryland and Virginia are collectively working toward a plan to reduce levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in fish. However, for now it's still recommended that you not eat fish from either the Potomac or Anacostia rivers. If you do, the D.C. Department of Health says it's best to eat smaller, younger fish that haven't ingested high levels of PCBs, mercury or other contaminants. Remove skin and trim excess fat, then cook the fish in a way that lets fat drip off, such as grilling or broiling. All will help reduce the level of contamination.

Maryland, Virginia and Washington all have consumption advisories for fish in the Potomac. For details:

http://www.mde.state.md.us/CitizensInfoCenter/Health/fish_advisories/index.asp

http://www.vdh.state.va.us/HHControl/fishingadvisories.asp

http://doh.dc.gov/doh/cwp/view,a,1374,q,584650,dohNav_GID,1837.asp