Potomac River Health Best in Decades: Report Says

Photo credit: U.S. National Park Service

Great news! The Potomac River's health is the best that it has been in decades, according Potomac Conservancy's 9th State of the Nation’s River report.

Potomac Conservancy, a local environmental advocacy group, measured its progress to date and has upgraded the Potomac River to a B-, which is up from a C in 2013 and D in 2011.

The Potomac River is on its way to recovery, according to the report.

“Our hometown river — the source of drinking water for nearly 5 million residents — is worth saving. We’ve made tremendous progress towards achieving our goal of a fishable, swimmable Potomac by 2025. But the Potomac is not in the clear yet,” says Hedrick Belin, president of Potomac Conservancy.

Take takeaways from the report:

Positive trends:

• The top 3 pollutants in the Potomac – nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment – are on the decline. 
• Shad, white perch, and other common game fish are making a comeback.
• More people are experiencing the river through fishing, water access trails, and state parks.

Concerning trends:

• Polluted urban runoff is the only growing source of pollution to the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay.
• Blue catfish and snakeheads are invading our waters, putting shad and other fish at risk.
• Underwater grasses, habitat, and water clarity have been slow to recover.

According to the report, after decades of decline, the Potomac River is now healthy enough to support growing populations of common game fish, including American shad and white perch, which was last graded a C, but merited an A in this report. Since fish are impacted by many environmental factors, they are a key indicator of river health.

The report warns that despite meaningful progress, there are still major threats to the ecological health of the Potomac River. Polluted urban runoff – the only growing source of pollution to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay – threatens to undo decades of restoration progress.

The report recommends that river-friendly development plans are continued to be followed in order to maintain the current progress and address continued problem areas and threats.

To see the report, go to potomac.org.