WASHINGTON — For the first time in decades, residents are being encouraged to swim in the Anacostia River.
The event called 'Splash was originally scheduled for Saturday, July 8, but was postponed for heavy rain that officials worried could lead to sewer overflows. Now, the event is expected to go on as originally planned on Saturday, September 23 at noon. Tickets to participate in the event will become available at 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 7.
Officials say Splash is a free event that gives residents the rare opportunity to swim in and reconnect with the Anacostia River. It is open to anyone 18 years old and up who knows how to swim.
Splash will be held at the Kingman Island dock next to the Benning Road Bridge. Participants will be able to swim during a designated time slot, and registration is required.
Splash is hosted by the Anacostia Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Anacostia River for all who live, work, and play in the watershed.
“DOEE is proud to support our grantees' work in improving the water quality of the District to ensure we reach Mayor Bowser’s goal of the District’s rivers becoming swimmable and fishable,” said the Department of Energy and Environment's Acting Director Richard Jackson.
The DC Citizen Science Water Quality Monitoring Program has tracked the river’s environmental progress since 2018. Anacostia Riverkeeper reports that “in 2022, monitoring sites at Kingman Island, Buzzards Point, and Washington Channel passed recreational water quality standards over 90% of the time.”
“We are as close as we have ever been to the possibility of bringing back a swimmable Anacostia,” said Riverkeeper President and Founding Board Member Suzy Kelly.
Residents are reminded that they are only allowed to swim in the Anacostia River during special events permitted by DOEE. In 2018, DOEE issued an amendment to the 1971 swimming ban to allow for permitted swim events in District waters, such as Splash.
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