Introduction
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Restored area near Kingman Island along the Anacostia River
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Agency and interest group partners developed this Web-accessible Anacostia Watershed Database and Mapping Project to provide user-friendly Geographic Information System (GIS) data about the watershed. This Web site is for agency decision-makers, residents in the watershed, school children, members of Congress, and local restoration groups protecting streams in their backyard. You will find data on wetland restoration projects, stormwater management, riparian reforestation, stream channel restoration, native fish reintroduction, watershed contamination, fish advisory information, and other data.
About the
Anacostia
River
and Watershed
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Map of Anacostia Watershed area.
[Click for larger version of map]
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Located blocks from Capitol Hill and extending into
Maryland, the
Anacostia
River
faces multiple problems. Centuries of development, dredging, filling, conflicting uses, and multiple governing jurisdictions have left the watershed a seriously altered and degraded ecosystem, thus earning its nickname, "The Forgotten River." Other indicators of the river's deteriorating condition include the following:
- Received a failing grade in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 2006 State of the Anacostia Report
- Proclaimed one of
America
’s Most Endangered Rivers in 1993 and 1994 and One of the Most Threatened in 1995 by American Rivers
- Designated one of only three Regions of Concern by the Chesapeake Bay Program
- Fish consumption advisories in place by the
District of Columbia
and State of
Maryland
due to PCB, methlymercury, and pesticide contamination
- 90% of original wetlands lost (Anacostia Watershed Network)
- Cancerous liver tumors in 50-68% of the Brown bullhead fish sampled (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
- Environmental impacts disproportionately impacting low-income and minority neighborhoods (McDonald 2000)
NOAA and Partner Involvement
NOAA has been working with partners to address the problems in the Anacostia watershed by helping to assess contaminants, restore tidal wetlands and fish habitat, create new public access, and clean up trash in the river. NOAA’s involvement in Anacostia cleanup began in 1999 through the Anacostia Watershed Toxics Alliance (AWTA). Based on the needs of that partnership, NOAA and partners developed the Anacostia Watershed Database and Mapping Project. This GIS product mapped contaminant data and basic watershed characteristics and was initially released as a CD in 1999 and has been continuously updated. In 2005, an informal needs assessment conducted with representatives from different agencies and interest groups determined that publicly-accessible, restoration-related data was critical to ensuring more informed management and planning decisions at the watershed level.
NOAA and partners now are focusing on presenting watershed-related data via an Internet Mapping Server (IMS). In 2005 and 2006, NOAA convened a series of meetings during which partners shared their most recent Anacostia data and reviewed and provided comments about this site. Below is a list of current partners:
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