The Nats' New Home: A Field of Green?

The new baseball stadium in Southeast Washington is being touted by city leaders as a symbol of the rebirth of the neglected Anacostia riverfront, just a block away.

Environmentalists aren't so sure.

Groups such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council say the city is failing to ensure the ballpark near South Capitol Street and the Navy Yard is consistent with their long-standing efforts to cleanup the polluted river.

Under current design plans, the ballpark will filter water to eliminate the potential for excess nutrient run-off from field fertilizer and cleaning chemicals, the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission said in a recent report. And the ballpark will incorporate recycled materials and will be shut down to minimum operating standards during the off-season to conserve energy.

But environmental organizations are demanding a host of improvements to that plan. On the list: green roofs with vegetation designed to conserve energy and capture storm water runoff; a water treatment procedure that would remove organics such as food before discharging overflow into the river; and permeable pavement that absorbs more water.

"We really need somebody taking the long view and seeing the value in putting in environmental improvements that will in the long run save money," says Nancy Stoner of the NRDC's clean water project.

So far, the environmentalists have been rebuffed by the commission, which says the stadium project's $611 million budget does not cover the upgrades, estimated to cost up to $10 million extra.

"It is fair to say that we have found this assignment challenging," commission Chief Executive Allen Y. Lew wrote to the D.C. Council this spring. "The cost cap . . . significantly limits the DCSEC in achieving the level of environmentally sensitive design to which we would otherwise aspire."

Still, Lew noted that he believes the project represents one of the most "green stadiums" in the country, adding that no sports arena has achieved certification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, a common industry rating system.

But environmentalists contend that legislation approved by the D.C. Council calls for higher standards, and taking legal action has not been ruled out.

"We are the nation's capital, so we are in position to set standards for the country," says Bob Morris, conservation chair of the Sierra Club. "We want the building to be the most energy-efficient stadium in the U.S."