Every time it rains, streets, parking lots, and rooftops in the District of Columbia send millions of gallons of polluted runoff into the Potomac River, the Anacostia River and other local waterways. This pollution makes the Potomac unsafe to use and unhealthy for wildlife, and it puts our families’ health at risk.

The good news is that the EPA is finally requiring D.C. to curb this dirty runoff by capturing rain where it falls, preventing contaminated runoff from reaching the river. The bad news is that D.C. has told EPA that the city will need over 100 years to eliminate this pollution of our rivers! Some Potomac tributaries, like Rock Creek, would not get cleaned up until 2154! The EPA is working on a permit right now that will lock in D.C.’s commitments for the next five years, but the current draft of the permit fails to require faster progress. The EPA is content to allow the Potomac, Rock Creek and other tributaries of our Nation’s river to stay polluted for the next hundred years.

We need your help! Send an email by January 17th (use the form on the right)! Tell EPA that the permit must include stronger requirements to speed up the schedule – because we deserve clean waterways within our lifetimes.

Thank you!

Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper

p.s. Visit our website to learn more and make a donation so we can continue to protect your right to clean water!