photo by Victoria Pickering
The heads up from DC Fire and EMS:
“Fireworks Notification
Tonight, 4/4/26, at approximately 8:30 pm, there will be a 15-minute fireworks display on the Anacostia River in the vicinity of Navy Yard.
This presentation is a part of the Cherry Bloss Festival Petalpalooza Celebration.
Please do not be alarmed.”
Again, tell your friends, tell ’em PoPville told you. And prepare your pets.
photo by Jim Havard
From the DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG):
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Washington Gas has agreed to contain hazardous pollution actively seeping into the Anacostia River at the former site of the company’s East Station, a gas plant that operated on the banks of the river for nearly 100 years.
An investigation by the District’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) uncovered evidence that toxic chemicals—byproducts of gas manufacturing at the shuttered plant—are currently bubbling up from the contaminated riverbed and seeping into the water from polluted soil on the riverbank. OAG alleges that Washington Gas has failed to take adequate steps to prevent the ongoing release of pollutants. Under the terms of a new settlement agreement, the company must install a new floating boom to contain pollution on the surface of the water; install new barriers to prevent the release of pollutants from the riverbed and riverbank; submit to ongoing monitoring by the District; and face fines for any noncompliance. (more…)
photo by Jim Havard
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today sued the United States for its deliberate and ongoing pollution of the Anacostia River, the District of Columbia’s most vital natural resource. For over 150 years, the United States used the River as a cost-free dumping ground for toxic waste and chemicals, including cancer-causing PCBs, dangerous pesticides like chlordane, and heavy metals. In its lawsuit, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) seeks to require the federal government to pay to clean up the River to protect District residents from ongoing threats to their health and safety and to make the River safe again for fishing, swimming, and wildlife. (more…)
photo by Jim Havard
“This is the largest environmental settlement in DC history.”
From the Office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) will pay over $57 million to resolve allegations that it discharged toxic chemicals into the District’s land and waterways for decades, resulting in the persistent toxic pollution of the Anacostia River. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepco must pay $47 million toward cleaning up the Anacostia River and $10 million in penalties. The company also must clean up contamination at its Buzzard Point and Benning Road facilities and investigate the current and historical environmental impacts of the company’s underground, District-wide system of transformer vaults. Additionally, Pepco will pay for the District to oversee this work. (more…)
photo by Jim Havard
From the Mayor’s Office:
“Mayor Muriel Bowser, the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), and partners from the Anacostia Riverkeeper invite District residents to celebrate progress toward a swimmable Anacostia River at an event on Saturday, July 8 at 12:00 p.m. The event will give residents a rare chance to swim in and reconnect with the Anacostia River while making history at the first permitted swim event in the Anacostia River in more than 50 years. The free community event, Splash, is open to all individuals aged 18 and older who know how to swim. (more…)