Last week, the Potomac Conservancy downgraded its rating of the health of the Potomac River from the D+ it received in the land trust’s first report in 2007 to a D.
The report on the State of the Nation’s River is a frightening document, citing increases in both human and agricultural waste along with the emergence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the waterway. These chemicals, though they are linked to a wide-range of biological disruptions, remain largely unregulated. “In essence,” the report said, “we are conducting a grand chemistry experiment on the Potomac; so far, the results don’t seem encouraging.”
The river’s condition demands immediate action to prevent further deterioration. The environmental degradation of D.C.’s largest source of drinking water harms not only the District but also the entire Chesapeake watershed, which already faces tremendous ecological disruptions. Every level of government must protect these waterways that affect the livelihood of millions of citizens.
According to the Conservancy, there are already ways for government to begin reducing pollution. Watershed Implementation Plans developed by the surrounding state governments and the Environmental Protection Agency outline specific amounts of yearly chemical reductions necessary to reverse the Potomac’s environmental collapse. The EPA’s final versions of the plans, due out next year, will also detail specific policy steps needed to achieve the abatement goals. The jury is out on whether the pollution targets are ambitious enough to really turn the river’s health around, but they represent realistic goals to aim for.
Georgetown has an important role to play in saving the Potomac. There are many infrastructure upgrades the University can and should make in the coming years to have a positive impact on the river’s ecology. One excellent example is green-roofing systems, which place sod, grass, and gardens on the top of flat-roofed buildings. The plants not only insulate buildings and prevent leaks, but they also absorb harmful runoff that would otherwise enter the river system.
It is obvious that our current pattern of environmental neglect of the Potomac is not sustainable, economically or ecologically. It is the explicit role of government to protect its citizens from the toxic by-products of the industrial and agricultural processes present in our drinking water today. As long as it stands by and does not take meaningful action to clean up this environmental and health tragedy in our backyard, it is abandoning one of its core responsibilities.
