It's time again for all of us who are tired of having polluted rivers cut through our neighborhoods to tell Mayor Gray and the District of Columbia Council that we want clean rivers now. We cannot have another decade of elected officials standing on the edge of our riverbanks, pretending to prioritize restoration, while at the same time undermining important initiatives that would do just that. We have in our grasp the tools to start making this happen.

Sign-up to join us on February 13th at 10:00 AM, at the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 504), for the DC Environmental Network's first Clean River's Action Day of 2013.  We will meet in the offices of our clean water champion, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, to present him with our views and urge him to tell the Mayor to pass meaningful stormwater and wetlands regulations. We will then break up into smaller groups and take our message to the other DC Council offices and finally share our message with a representative of the Gray administration.

Let's help the Mayor and Council make a real commitment to a sustainable District of Columbia. All are welcome.

Improperly setting out trash for curbside pick up, littering, and illegal dumping all contribute to poor stream water quality and urban blight In Capitol Heights. We're working with community leaders and the Town of Capitol Heights to raise awareness about the negative impacts on streams and the community from these poor waste disposal practices.  Water from Capitol Heights’ streets and storm drains flow directly to the Watts Branch, a tributary of the Anacostia, carrying loads of pollutants including trash. This polluted runoff flows down the Anacostia and out to the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. According to the Washington Metropolitan of Council of Government’s 2010 Anacostia Watershed Restoration Plan and Report, the Watts Branch has one of the highest trash loads in the Anacostia watershed.

kick coal ash

The Senate has tried time and time again to make it harder to protect our communities from coal ash. So far, we've been able to stop them. These various bills have failed to provide meaningful protections to the thousands of communities living near dangerous coal ash dumps.  The latest bill (S. 3512 - which is "dead" would have permanently barred the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from ever establishing enforceable standards to protect human health and the environment from harmful coal ash pollution. We expect to a similar bill introduced in the new Congress.

Tell your Senators to oppose any giveaway to polluters!

Clean Water Action worked with young scouts from Cub Scout Pack #380 to install a catch basin (storm drain) screen in Southeast DC. The screen, designed by the scouts, allows water to pass through but keeps bigger pieces of trash from clogging up the storm drain. Made from chicken wire, zip cords & rocks, the scouts will monitor the screen and track how much refuge it collects. Using this scientific process, the Pack #380 will soon become the first S.T.E.M. scout pack in the DC area.

we’ve never protected the anacostia watershed the way we should.

• Testimony to DC City Council

During the Civil War the Federal government damaged the watershed through deforestation – clearing trees to facilitate the construction of various facilities. Military activities in the 19th and 20th century at the Navy Yard and other sites discharged chemicals and other materials into the river, and this toxic contamination has been a major issue for decades.  These materials and chemicals are highly toxic and settled in to the sediment of the river. This has resulted in fish developing tumors and has made the water unsafe to drink, swim in, or eat from.

thank you representative norton!

Thank you Eleanor Holmes Norton for standing up for clean water in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.   During a Committee debate on a bill (HR 4965) to block Administration progress on closing gaps in Clean Water Act Protection, Rep. Norton offered an alternative amendment. The amendment would have ensured that drinking water was protected.

While the amendment was defeated and the HR 4965 passed, Representative Norton's amendment showed that she's a true Clean Water Leaders who stands for people, not polluters! Stand with Representative Norton and support the President's Clean Water Policies today

The Transit First coalition, representing Metro riders, labor, environmental, and community groups, called on Metro and the local governments that help fund it to use the entire $16 million savings in the improved budget outlook to roll back proposed fare increases. Their statement is below:

Photo by joekerstef on Flickr.

Under a proposal submitted yesterday to Metro's finance committee by General Manager Richard Sarles, only $10 million of the $16 million savings would go to riders. Government support of Metro would be cut back by $6 million from the previous budget plan.

join our friends at the clean water network for the first-ever earth day float-in

FLOAT-IN, be counted & fight for Clean Water! Join people from across the region and country to protect the Anacostia and all of our nation’s water at the First Annual Float-In Earth Day. The Float-In marks the 40th anniversary of The Clean Water Act and it's an opportunity to celebrate our country’s beautiful rivers, lakes, streams, creeks, bays and coastal areas.  It's our chance to say NO to attempts by polluters and their allies in Congress to slow our nation's clean water progress. 

a landmark proposal to protect the air we breathe

Clean Water Action welcomes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal for controlling carbon pollution from new and modified power plants.  “EPA is taking common sense steps to protect people from air pollution and  climate change and to lead the way to a clean energy future,” said Clean Water Campaigns Director, Lynn Thorp. 

Download and share our statement and read Lynn's thoughts on We All Live Downstream.