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Potomac Conservancy Report Reflects River’s Significant Progress

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The Potomac River is both a beloved feature of the District and a notoriously ailing body of water that’s often the butt of many local residents’ jokes and memes. But its time as a laughing stock might be coming to an end. 

A new report from the nationally accredited, local land trust the Potomac Conservancy reveals significant improvement in the health of the river. This year, after measuring progress in 20 different areas, the conservancy rated the Potomac River a B health level, up from a B- three years ago and a D in 2011. 

At a May 16 press conference, representatives from the Potomac Conservancy spoke specifically about their findings on the river’s pollution, fish, habitat, land, and recreation. 

The Potomac Conservancy reviewed the 2023 Potomac River report card May 16 at the Potomac Boat Club in Northwest; Credit: Camila Bailey

The conservancy had aimed to have a swimmable, fishable Potomac River by 2025, but several barriers have stood in the way. Chief among them is deforestation, which has inhibited natural defenses against pollution runoff. Potomac Conservancy president Hedrick Belin emphasizes the role trees play in things like absorbing rainwater and filtering urban runoff that comes from industrial and agricultural sites, or wastewater effluent. 

The most challenging barrier to optimal river health, however, is the climate crisis, and the intensified storms and increased droughts that occur as a result. “Restoration does not mean replicating what things might have looked like 50 years ago,” Virginia Delegate Rip Sullivan states. He points to climate change as a major factor in the overall health of regional waterways. “We’re going to have to rethink some of the approaches we’ve been using,” he says. 

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