May 16, 2023 | Silver Spring, Maryland

The Potomac River is in the middle of a comeback and is much cleaner than it was a decade ago. Potomac Conservancy grades the Potomac River’s health a “B” in its 2023 Potomac River Report Card.

The river’s health grade improved from a “B-” three years ago and a “D” in 2011. Potomac Conservancy assessed over 20 local ecosystem indicators for pollution, fish, habitat, land, and recreation.

Positive water quality trends:

• 🚜 Industrial and farming pollution are declining 

• 🦅 Bald eagles, fish, and local wildlife are rebounding 

• 🎣 More shoreline visitors, anglers, and water recreationists are enjoying the Potomac

The Potomac’s improving health is a powerful testament to decades of hard work to restore local water quality, but pollution remains a problem and the river is not yet safe for swimming and fishing.

Concerning water quality trends:

• ⚠️ Polluted urban runoff is on the rise and threatens decades of progress 

• 🗑 Runoff pollutes local waterways with fertilizers, street oils, trash, sediment, and diluted sewage 

• 🌳 Rapid deforestation in the region is weakening nature’s defenses against polluted runoff 

• 🌡 The climate crisis is straining the local ecosystem from intensifying storms, lengthening droughts, rising river levels, and warming stream temperatures 

Our community deserves clean water. The Potomac is the country’s wildest urban river and the life force of our region. Five million people depend on the river for drinking water and rely on it for outdoor enjoyment.

A clean and safe Potomac River is vital in order for our community and local ecosystems to thrive.

Learn what it will take for the Potomac River to become swimmable and fishable in the next 10 years at www.potomacreportcard.org.

www.potomacreportcard.org

Quotes

“The Potomac River is one of the Chesapeake Bay region’s most precious natural resources. As the source of the water we drink, an economic driver of local fisheries, and home to natural wonders, the Potomac is critically important to our communities and public health. We must do everything we can to continue to reduce pollution and restore the health of our forests and streams.” — Hedrick Belin, Potomac Conservancy President

“As with all rivers, the Potomac River is only as healthy as the lands that surround it. We can’t bulldoze our way out of our water and climate crises. We must leave behind a 20th-century mindset where we pave over forests and deal with the consequences later. It’s time for leaders to embrace bold, nature-based solutions for the protection of our rivers, drinking water sources, and public health.” — Hedrick Belin, Potomac Conservancy President

“The Potomac River’s recovery is a powerful measure of the region’s commitment to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay’s rivers, streams, and drinking water sources. I’m proud to continue making progress with the passage of legislation that significantly improves Maryland’s Forest Conservation Act so that our families and future generations will enjoy safe streams and climate-resilient communities.” — Maryland Delegate Sara N. Love

About the Report

Potomac Conservancy’s Potomac River Report Card presents and assesses data on five significant river health indicators: pollution, fish, habitat, land, and people. Data sets for some indicators take time to become publicly available, so we have aggregated and assessed data through 2020. Using an established baseline and set of benchmarks, the Conservancy measures restoration progress and assigns the Potomac River a grade. The overall grade has been weighted to account for non-quantifiable, inaccessible, or outdated data on water quality threats. These threats include but are not limited to harmful algal blooms, climate change, endocrine-disrupting compounds, PCBs, aquatic diseases, and others.

About Potomac Conservancy

Potomac Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust and clean water leader in the Potomac River region. We’re committed to restoring the Potomac to full health for the five million people who rely on the river for drinking water and outdoor enjoyment. We improve local water quality through land conservation initiatives that effectively stop pollution from entering our streams and tributaries. Our impassioned base of 30,000 supporters empowers us to protect and expand streamside forests, pass water protection laws, and restore local shorelines.

Media Inquiries

Please contact Melissa Diemand at diemand@potomac.org.  

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