2016 Annual Report highlights the local clean water successes of Team Potomac

A Message from Potomac Conservancy's Leadership

All around us are signs that our hard work is paying off. Local water quality is improving, shad and other native animals are returning, and more people are getting outside to enjoy the river.

After decades of decline, the Potomac River is on its way to recovery.

We haven’t arrived here by chance. Our hometown river is beginning to thrive once more because leaders like you have taken a stand for clean streams in our communities.

You can be proud of the difference you’re making for your family, for your neighbors, and for everyone in our region who depends on a clean, safe river.

The wildest urban river in the country, the Potomac is our region’s most precious resource. It’s a weekend playground for nature lovers and outdoor athletes. It’s a home for countless birds, fish, and critters. It’s the source of tap water you and five million local residents drink.

It’s a river worth protecting.

In times when federal threats loom large, our local mission and local work have never been more important.

Now more than ever, we must stay the course, dig in, and continue fighting for clean water. 

The challenges we face call for local leaders and local solutions. Too many of our streams lack basic protections against polluted runoff. Our towns continue to build without enough care for clean water. And too few local residents have access to our special outdoor places.

By taking action with Potomac Conservancy, you’re standing in solidarity with a growing movement of over 21,000 local clean water advocates. Together, we’re:

• Empowering farmers to protect their streams and reduce upstream pollution
• Pushing local counties to enact strong clean water laws and invest in a sustainable future
• Equipping volunteers with the tools they need to leave our river better than they found it

We are energized and ready to redouble our efforts. But, we can’t do it alone.

In an era in which divisiveness has become commonplace, we’re uniting landowners in rural towns, community groups in Washington, DC, and other local organizations that share our collective vision for a healthy and restored Potomac.

It’s these partnerships and your generous support that give us hope and propel us forward. And it’s your passion for a swimmable, fishable Potomac River that will get us there.

Please read about how your support is making a difference in the stories that follow. They highlight local programs and strategic partnerships that your support made possible.

Together we will carry on the fight for clean water. Here’s to pollution-free streams, protected forests, and thriving communities in the year ahead!

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