Swimming in the Potomac? Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton authorizes studies to explore options

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has authorized studies to investigate swimming in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

Released on Dec. 5, the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA), contains provisions from Norton that will allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct studies on the rivers, alongside secondary drinking water sources and flooding in D.C.

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"There is an urgent need for Congress to act to protect the drinking water and other infrastructure of the nation’s capital from serious vulnerabilities, and I am pleased WRDA contains three provisions to address issues D.C. has long confronted," Del. Norton said.

D.C. is entirely dependent on the Potomac for its drinking water, and the aqueduct that supplies water to the city only has one day’s worth of backup water, according to Del. Norton's office. They also say many of the nation’s most populous cities have secondary sources of drinking water and are planning to institute a third.

Norton has already passed bills in Congress to redevelop D.C.’s Southeast and Southwest waterfronts.