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Contrary to popular belief in the District, the Potomac River is clean enough for DC residents to swim in. Despite this, swimming has been illegal in the Potomac in DC since the 1970s when the...
Flannery Dunn
January 31, 2024
Seeking a swimmable D.C. with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Contrary to popular belief in the District, the Potomac River is clean enough for DC residents to swim in. Despite this, swimming has been illegal in the Potomac in DC since the 1970s when the river was filled with untreated or inadequately treated sewage daily. Nancy Stoner, president of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) explains the history of swimming in DC and how the PRKN stays committed to community science water monitoring, increasing public awareness of the sources of pollution and how to stop them, and advocates to end routine dumping of raw sewage into the Potomac River.
