Under Washington law, swimming in the Potomac River has been illegal since 1971. At the time, Washington enacted a swimming ban to prevent illness due to concerns about high amounts of bacteria in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and Rock Creek. However, a newfrom a coalition of environmental groups says that bacterial concerns are no longer a concern.
The overlook of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park lies in a tristate area with an hour drive’s from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. “Washington Channel passed 98% of the time; the Tidal Basin passed 97%; Buzzard Point passed 85%; Kingman Island passed 83%; and Thompson Boat Center passed 82%,” the report said.
A massive sewer project by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority has also led to a significant improvement in the Potomac’s water quality over the past few years. While sewers had overflowed up to 80 times a year into the Anacasotia River, which flows into the Potomac, the D.C. Water sewer project is set to prevent 98% of overflows. The project will wrap up next year.
The improvements indicate Washington could now have a basis to loosen its ban on swimming. “The public should have a right to do that,” Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoksreached out to Washington’s National Park Service about the report, it was directed to the 1971 law, indicating no plans have been made to update the swimming ban. The District of Columbia’s mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
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