WASHINGTON — Trash skimmer boats operated by DC Water are responding to clean up the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby.
On Monday, one of the utility's five skimmers was at work removing debris from the Washington Channel. A "trash island" that formed in the river during storm conditions Friday has broken up, but high waters continue to bring debris from the upper Potomac into the D.C. waterfront area in the wake of the storm.
After weeks of hot, dry conditions in the DMV area this summer, the soil has hardened — leading water to roll over it instead of being absorbed. That rolling water has pushed the current mound of debris into the water.
DC Water's skimmers remove between 400 and 500 tons of trash and debris from the Potomac annually, according to John Lisle of DC Water.
Riverkeepers on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers report improvements in the wake of the opening of the Northeast Boundary Tunnel Project in September of 2023. The underground system is designed to catch pulses of stormwater, debris and sewage overflows during storm events, and divert the pollution to Blue Plains for treatment. The system is providing a 98% reduction in combined sewage overflow volume in an average rainfall year, according to DC water.
During Debby, the system captured more than 100 million gallons of combined sewage overflow that was headed to the Anacostia, according to Lisle.
A similar tunnel system is now under construction between the Tidal Basin and Georgetown, and will take six years to complete.