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Sadly the Potomac River is not the cleanest place to be swimming anymore

• marymkearney 4y ago
  Interestingly, there's an app for that now. Back in the day, the canoe commuters had to take their chances. https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/community-science-volunteer-water-quality-monitoring-program/ https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/community-science-... The CIA's location upriver is non-tidal, so it's clean-ish compared to the tidal waters of DC proper. DC's 19th-century sanitary sewers overflow into the storm drains when it rains. Yes, this is as gross as it sounds. DC Water is working on it. https://www.dcwater.com/css https://www.dcwater.com/css Edited to add: One of the sewage outfalls runs directly from the White House into the Potomac River near the Kennedy Center. Make of that what you will.
  • hammock 4y ago
    Combined sewers is one thing.. I am also thinking of waste from industrial, military and paramilitary sites nearby
    • marymkearney 4y ago
      Yeah, ew, good point, that's nasty. Like the Avtex superfund site upstream in Front Royal VA. https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0302606 https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0... Makes you wonder about the CIA itself, doesn't it? I doubt they have EPA oversight.
• snowwrestler 4y ago
  It’s fine for swimming upstream of Little Falls. People swim in it all summer (and occasionally by accident in colder months). It’s mostly fine below Little Falls as well, unless there has been a ton of rain recently. Edit: here, in case you don’t believe me https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/robert-dreher-urges-dc-city-council-to-lift-ban-on-swimming-in-the-potomac/ https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/robert-dreher-urge...