Cleaning Up the Anacostia

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

The condition of the Anacostia River is truly deplorable for all of the reasons mentioned in the Jan. 9 front-page article "Polluted Waters Stain D.C.'s Shining Vision."

But problems such as runoff and trash must take a back seat until the worst culprit -- raw human waste -- is corrected. Untreated human waste is a public health threat.

The 20-year time frame for addressing this problem given by the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is unacceptable. We are not a Third World country. It is incomprehensible that in 2007 a major waterway in the nation's capital would still be contaminated with raw sewage. The bulk of tax revenue from the new businesses, the new baseball stadium and all of the other development underway near the river should go directly toward bringing the sewer system up to the standards of a civilized nation.

The Blue Plains sewage plant in Southwest is among the largest advanced water treatment plants in the country. But it can process only the sewage it receives, not the sewage that gets dumped into the Anacostia. Major infrastructure renovation is required. This is no small undertaking, but there is no other choice.

MICHELE P. LEONARDI

University Park

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We at the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) were pleased to see the Jan. 9 article on pollution in the Anacostia River because such reporting focuses public attention on the problem.

The article identified a number of sources of pollution in this Potomac River tributary. It also noted the work and investment by WASA to address this problem.

More than 80 percent of the Anacostia watershed lies outside the District. A significant amount of pollutants, trash and debris enters the river upstream from the District through storm runoff and settles in the slow-moving part of the river in the city. To have an impact on water quality here, attention should be directed toward a cohesive, regional approach that would mitigate the most prevalent causes of the pollution.

All the jurisdictions in the watershed are working on the problem. The District is doing its part with a $2.2 billion investment in projects to reduce combined sewer overflows into area waterways. To date, 30 percent of the District's combined sewer overflows into the Anacostia have been eliminated. WASA also uses skimmer boats to remove floating trash and other debris from the river. These boats pick up debris from 60 miles of shoreline, removing as much as 120 tons of trash a month.

These investments and activities alone are not enough. The most effective strategy would be to implement, with assistance from the federal government, a watershed-based approach under which the worst problems would be addressed first. We encourage developers, residents and environmental groups to advocate for and participate in a regional strategy to improve water quality in this magnificent river.

JERRY N. JOHNSON

General Manager

D.C. Water and Sewer Authority

Washington