Earth Day Anacostia River cleanup highlights restoration efforts

Earth Day Anacostia River cleanup highlights restoration efforts

Volunteers gathered near Kingman and Heritage Islands on Earth Day 2025 to continue efforts to restore the Anacostia River, once a heavily polluted and overlooked waterway.

Earth Day Anacostia River cleanup

Volunteers gathered on Earth Day to clean up the Anacostia River, once a heavily polluted waterway.

WASHINGTON - Volunteers gathered near Kingman and Heritage Islands on Earth Day 2025 to continue efforts to restore the Anacostia River, once a heavily polluted and overlooked waterway.

During the event, participants were thrilled to spot an otter swimming across the river -- an encouraging sign of ecological recovery. Experts note otters are typically seen at night, making the sighting even more significant.

Volunteers clean Anacostia River 

What we know:

The Anacostia watershed, stretching 8.7 miles from Bladensburg, Maryland, through northeast and southeast D.C., also impacts Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The river is named after the Indigenous people who once relied on its resources.

Due to severe pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency stepped in in 2010, making the Anacostia the first interstate waterbody to receive a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limit for trash. The nonprofit Anacostia Riverkeeper has since led cleanup efforts, collecting and monitoring waste.

Earth Day event boosts restoration

Since 2014, Anacostia Riverkeeper and volunteers have removed over 156,000 pounds of trash through 168 cleanup events, including 844 plastic bottles, 2,500 pounds of plastic waste, and 2,200 pounds of glass.

Ward 7 resident Joyce Moore participated in Saturday’s Earth Day cleanup with her family, reinforcing the importance of community involvement.

One Riverkeeper leader stressed that proper disposal of plastic bottles could significantly reduce trash in the river.

Annual cleanup helps restore Anacostia River

Since 2014, Anacostia Riverkeeper and volunteers have removed over 156,000 pounds of trash through 168 cleanup events, including 844 plastic bottles, 2,500 pounds of plastic waste, and 2,200 pounds of glass.