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The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and their partners are removing large debris and up to 33 abandoned and derelict vessels from the tidal Anacostia River in Washington D.C. and Maryland.
Type of Project: Removal
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Project Dates: October 2024 - September 2028
Who is involved?
With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is partnering with the Anacostia Riverkeeper to assess, remove, and dispose of large debris and abandoned and derelict vessels along the tidal Anacostia River.
What is the project and why is it important?
The tidal Anacostia faces unique challenges as an urban river, including a significant amount of marine debris. Large debris blocks recreational river access, makes the area less appealing to the community, and can lead to poor water quality. While there are many cleanup projects focused on the river, most address small trash and floating debris. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, in partnership with the Anacostia Riverkeeper, is improving the health of the Anacostia River and NOAA trust resources by removing large debris and abandoned and derelict vessels in Washington D.C. and Maryland.
Lower Beaverdam Creek is the most heavily industrialized subwatershed within the Maryland portion of the Anacostia watershed. This stream section contains large pieces of legacy debris, such as heavy infrastructure piping and automobile parts, that have been present since the 1990s. In this area, the project team is removing an estimated 20,000 pounds of large metal scrap and debris while conducting outreach to adjacent commercial business properties to inform them on proper disposal of waste.
Along the Anacostia River mainstem sits Boathouse Row, home to many historic boathouses including the nation’s oldest African American yacht club. Over the years, abandoned and derelict vessels have accumulated in Boathouse Row, presenting challenges to many of the boathouses that are unable to be addressed through existing volunteer removal efforts. The project team is removing up to 33 abandoned and derelict vessels from this area, while simultaneously helping to organize community engagement sessions to encourage boathouses to prevent abandoned and derelict vessels from becoming new problems in their marinas.
The Anacostia River mainstem also has an accumulation of hard to access debris items, such as electric scooters and bikes, picnic tables, and more. These items are located far from shore and away from locations volunteers typically can reach in standard community cleanups. The project team is mapping and categorizing these items with the help of the local recreation community, and removing marine debris with a barge to clear the waterway.
Ultimately, this project will result in large debris removal from targeted locations that are burdened by significant debris challenges, benefiting the communities along the tidal Anacostia, and supporting historic boathouses to prevent future derelict vessel accumulation moving forward.