It’s safe enough, but it’s hella muddy at the shoreline. FENSTON: Merrill St. Leger is an urban planner. FENSTON: And Portland, Ore., started opening swimming beaches on the Willamette River in 2014. Potomac River, United States. FENSTON: St. Leger visited four of them last summer and brought back photos - platforms in the middle of the Danish capital packed with swimmers and sunbathers. Potomac River could soon be clean enough for a swim — report Published: Wednesday, March 28, 2018 . Storm flows spike bacteria levels, which decrease with time. Like … He says local attention is not enough to save the forgotten river. ‘Potomac River – Traffic on the Key Bridge – 04-20-10′ courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’. The second phase, the Potomac River Tunnel Project, is underway. Daley To Feds On Chicago River Cleanup: 'Go Swim In The Potomac' In his typically blunt style, Mayor Richard M. Daley replied Wednesday afternoon to a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency, urging that his city's Chicago River be made clean enough to swim in. But the water itself is clean enough. Potomac River could soon be clean enough for a swim — report. The COMAR specifically defines, “recreational use” as “activities on the Potomac River, including swimming, bathing, wading, diving, tubing, rafting, and other uses involving contact with the water.” (COMAR 08.06.01.02B(2)(a)). But the water itself is clean enough. Being able to safely swim in the entire river is a goal worth pursuing as new challenges emerge. Fairview Beach, Va., a public beach along the banks of the Potomac River, had a bacteria level more than twice the safe limit for swimming following the heavy rain. Potomac River 7.5 Mile Swim CANCELLED IN 2020 DUE TO COVID-19. Let’s Go Swimming in the Chicago River! When rivers are clean, other great things follow; wildlife can grow in abundance and diversity, plants begin to flourish, and people can enjoy the river without worry. "Go swim in the Potomac," Daley said at a City Hall news conference about police issues. f 888.267.9505 We spend just about every summer weekend on the water, and have for 20 years as our kids were growing up. Jacob Fenston reports from member station WAMU. In … Save the Date: 2030 Within 15 years, the waters flowing through the midwestern metropolis could be clean enough for a dip. FENSTON: Generations of D.C. parents have told their kids to stay away from the Anacostia River. "We're trying to make this river every day cleanable, more cleanable." The Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup has become a decisive catalyst for progress that ignites people’s interest and passion for the environment and community action. We swim/ski/tube behind our boat, but walking in from the shoreline would be a muddy mess. And for the first time in many years, people are starting to ask what swimming could look like in D.C.'s rivers. TOMMY WELLS: I believe we will have swimming platforms in Washington, D.C., no later than 2025. For many years, poor water quality alone was enough to keep people from wanting to swim in our rivers. Or are they going to take this carrot from an EPA and a Department of Justice that really doesn’t care about water quality?" Potomac River could soon be clean enough for a swim — report . The city banned swimming in the river starting in the 1980s because of severe pollution then, but the ban persists even though the river is a lot cleaner now, … Nearly every year, there are drowning accidents in this stretch of the river. All rights reserved. The letter demands that parts of the river be clean enough for “recreation in and on the water,” which means activities from swimming to canoeing. To be clean enough for swim ming, authorities say, water should not contain more than 1,000 coliform (intestinal bac teria) organisms per 100 milli liters. It is sometimes safe, but after large storm events bacteria counts go way up. I have many fond memories of summer days spent swimming, tubing, wading, and just lounging in and around the rivers and lakes that I have been fortunate enough to live near. It provides the capital's drinking water through an intake above Great Falls just north of the city. National Association of Clean Water Agencies, p 202.833.2672 Now, the waterways are becoming cleaner and D.C. may allow swimming in the Potomac and Anacostia. The Potomac Conservancy graded the Potomac a “B” in 2018, rising from a D- in 2007. Now, the waterways are becoming cleaner and D.C. may allow swimming in the Potomac and Anacostia. POTOMAC, MD - JULY 16: A dog swims by a kayaker while she sets off into the Potomac River in Great Falls National Park July 16, 2011 in Potomac, Maryland. Local nonprofits that monitor the Potomac and Anacostia have documented what seems like slow but steady progress. CHECK BACK IN 2021 May 30, 2020 WAMU wrote this week on steps the city and others are taking to make the Potomac and the Anacostia rivers swimmable. Having lived for years in D.C., I never saw a dolphin there. Overall, the report rated the Potomac River’s health a D. Swimming is prohibited. Kayaking can be … Potomac River Watershed Cleanup Connecting people to their local watershed . Tommy Wells is director of the District Department of Energy and Environment. kayaking and paddleboarding. Despite its designation as a Class A Primary Contact waterway, the DC Department of Health (DOH) bans swimming in the Potomac River citing the risk of high bacteria levels after rainstorms as the only reason it is considered “unsafe” to swim. As far as the pollution, the river has a B rating. **WARNING: SWIMMING IS PROHIBITED IN D.C. GARNAAS-HOLMES: One is the technical challenge of making sure that the water is actually clean enough. Upgrading our infrastructure (i.e sewage tunnels and treatment facilities) and creating and upholding adequate regulations can help to resolve this major form of pollution. You are allowed to swim in it upriver of DC a bit – where the water is ‘cleaner’ (actually, it’s quite nice about 50-60 miles upriver near Harpers Ferry). https://wtop.com/news/2013/05/what-is-in-the-potomac-rivers-water The Potomac Conservancy gave the river a “B-” on the “Potomac Report Card” it issued in March, stating that the river is on track to be swimmable and fishable by 2025. It is illegal to wade and swim in the water of the Potomac River. The Potomac River is currently listed as impaired for bacteria and is considered unsafe for swimming. The 33rd Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup is scheduled for April 10th, 2021. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. We spend just about every summer weekend on the water, and have for 20 years as our kids were growing up. Potomac Riverkeeper Network is composed of three Riverkeepers — Shenandoah, Upper Potomac, and Potomac — working together to protect the public’s right to clean water in the Potomac river watershed. E&E News Clean Rivers Project, a $2.6 billion initiative aimed at eliminating pollution from the city’s waterways. Besides the beauty and recreation it provides, the area pulls nearly 400 million gallons of water a day out of it—about 90 percent of our drinking water. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. MERRILL ST LEGER: So you could have a large lap pool, for instance. More work and vigilance is definitely necessary, but for the first time in generations, parts of the river are clean enough for anglers to eat their catch and safe enough for children to wade in. info@nacwa.org, Advancing Smarter Regulations & Enforcement, Promoting Innovation to Address 21st Century Challenges, Excellence in Management Recognition Program, National Environmental Achievement Award Program, Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program, Promoting Innovation for 21st Century Challenges. Emanuel’s statement is in response to the EPA’s demand that local officials make the Chicago River clean enough to swim in - and the feds are threatening to step in if they don’t. This World Rivers Day, we have one wish: Rivers Fit To Swim In. How Clean Is The Anacostia River? That sounds strange, but it’s time to clear up a few points and to provide tips to make your summer cool. THE POTOMAC RIVER has been a national embarrassment for decades. GARDNER: I have been in water far nastier than this. Rather, he sees the forecasts as one more … It is illegal to go swimming in the Great Falls area of the Potomac River, an area also known as Mather Gorge. So check Swim Guide, make sure it hasn’t rained on Thursday or Friday, and then you’ll know that it is generally safe to swim. JACOB FENSTON, BYLINE: Picture this - it's one of the hottest days of the year; heat index - 107. More than 40 years later, the river still has issues, but it’s much cleaner—earning a B in the Potomac Conservancy’s most recent report card, issued in 2018. FENSTON: Elvert Gardner's a triathlete. There are similar examples in Paris and Zurich, and there are plans in the works in London, Boston and New York City. DALEY: Go swim in the Potomac. Authorities now say significant progress has been made, with some species of fish absent for decades now returning and the river clean enough to swim in on some days of the year. 23. And he says there are two obstacles to swimming in the Anacostia. Though he was kind of right about the Potomac, not the only civic river to face substantial cleanup issues. The Potomac River is in the middle of comeback and is cleaner than in decades past, but it remains too polluted for safe swimming or fishing. Even grabbing a ball from the shallows of this area, known as Mather Gorge, can be life-threatening. GARNAAS-HOLMES: Convincing people that we're actually getting towards a space where you can stick your hand in and pull it out and there will be more than just the skeleton left. Potomac Conservancy and the Nation’s Triathlon are joining forces to ‘fight for a Potomac River that’s safe to swim in on race day and every other day of the year.’ “We want the river to be clean enough to swim in every day, including race day. The sample had 240 colony-forming units of enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of water –up from a safe level in the dry-weather sample. 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