Washington, D.C
Pepco to pay $57 million over “toxic pollution” of Anacostia River in D.C.’s largest-ever environmental settlement
A century-old electric company that serves hundreds of thousands of customers in the Washington D.C. area spent decades allegedly releasing toxic pollutants into the Anacostia River. Now, in a historic settlement, the Potomac Electric Power Company will have to pay more than $47 million to help clean it up, and another $10 million in fines, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia announced this week.
Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced the settlement – the largest environment settlement in the district’s history – on Tuesday, saying the company was responsible for “persistent toxic pollution” in the river, which runs through D.C. and Maryland.
The Anacostia River is one of the “most heavily altered and contaminated watersheds” in the Chesapeake Bay, according to NOAA, with runoff and hazardous waste sites contributing to “decades of pollution.” The agency says that the river’s watershed, while home to hundreds of thousands of people, dozens of fish species and hundreds of bird species, is also home to numerous hazardous waste sites.
NOAA
Those sites have resulted in heavy metals, pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the waterway, the last of which are industrial products that were banned in the country in 1979. According to the EPA, they are known to cause cancer and issues involving the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems. in animals. In humans, they are considered “probable human carcinogens,” according to the EPA.
It can take decades for those chemicals to break down.
Schwalb said that the Potomac Electric Power Company, known as Pepco, played a large role in this issue. Two of the company’s previous facilities, Buzzard Point and Benning Road, as well as some of their transformer vaults, “resulted in spills, equipment leaks and intentional release of petroleum and hazardous substances,” including PCBs, the attorney general said.
At the company’s Benning Road Facility, the attorney general’s office said Pepco released pollutants into groundwater and soil. That site was run from 1906 to 2012 and has been under an environmental investigation since 2011.
National Archives/Environmental Protection Agency
At Buzzard Point, Pepco is accused of spilling or releasing petroleum and other substances into the soil and groundwater across decades since it began operations in 1938.
“Until 2013, at a rate of at least twice per month, Pepco intentionally pumped the pollutants in its containment structures – intended to prevent spills and leaks – into storm sewers that emptied into the Anacostia River,” the attorney general’s office said. “While internal company policy recognized that discharges to storm sewers should never occur, in practice the company continued to discharge pollutants into storm sewers for years.”
The final major pollution point was at the roughly 60,000 underground Pepco transformer vaults, which the attorney general said are often filled with polluted runoff. The company spent decades pumping that water, which contained PCBs and petroleum among other things, into sewers that led to rivers and streams, the attorney general says.
“For decades, Pepco routinely discharged hazardous chemicals into soil, groundwater, and storm sewers, which fouled the Anacostia River, deprived us of the river’s many benefits, and endangered public health and safety,” Schwalb said. “And as is too often the case, communities of color East of the River bore the brunt of the company’s illegal conduct.”
In 2012, a study partially funded by NOAA found that almost half of those who lived near the river – an estimated 17,000 people – were unaware of the dangers that came with eating fish from the river. The agency has recommended people not to eat eel, carp or striped bass from the river because of the high levels of contaminants, as well as recommended limiting other types of fish from its waters. The local fishermen consuming the fish were disproportionately Black, Latino or Asian, the study found.
Schwalb said that while Pepco played a large role in the river’s pollution, it isn’t “solely responsible” – and should receive credit for accepting formal responsibility. Along with paying $10 million in civil penalties, the utility company will have to pay $47 million to help Washington, D.C. clean up the Anacostia River.
DC leaders announce plan to increase waterfront access in Georgetown
Changes are coming to the Georgetown Waterfront. District leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday morning to increase public access, specifically for non-motorized boating activities along the Potomac River, after a decade in the making. The District, Georgetown University and the National Park Service will take part in land swap.
WASHINGTON – Changes are coming to the Georgetown Waterfront.
D.C. leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday morning to increase public access, specifically for non-motorized boating activities along the Potomac River, after a decade in the making. The District, Georgetown University and the National Park Service will take part in land swap.
What we know:
D.C. officials say Georgetown will donate a parcel of land on the Potomac River to the National Park Service to be added to the boundary of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This will allow for a continuous path from the Capital Crescent Trail to the Georgetown Waterfront Park.
The National Park will then transfer jurisdiction of two parcels at the base of the Key Bridge to the district, which will then transfer the site to the west of the bridge to Georgetown to create a university boathouse, serving as a hub for the men’s and women’s rowing teams.
“Mayor Bowser has made this a big point. D.C. is a waterfront city and we’ve got wonderful access to the water and recreational opportunities, and this final push to complete the land swap is going to unlock this access to the river at this particular point which is right under the Key Bridge,” said Nina Albert, D.C. Deputy Mayor for planning and economic development.
Dig deeper:
Georgetown will provide year-round public access to the boathouse docks, giving the community access to kayak, paddle board and canoe along the Potomac River.
This increased access will benefit rowers, like D.C. resident Ivin Boddy, who frequents the Potomac River.
“I think it would increase more of our foreign visitors and our domestic visitors coming to town. So, I think it would definitely do some great justice for them,” Boddy said.
Others like D.C. resident Zaidun Jawdat, who frequents the area often, are curious to see what eventually happens.
“We enjoy it completely. We’re happy with it,” said Jawdat.
“I’m not sure just how much is going to change. I guess if they invest in structures and docking wharfs – maybe that changes the character.”
The land transaction is currently being finalized – and residents should expect to see changes within the next few years.
Washington, D.C
Showers, storms possible Tuesday across DC region; Canada wildfire smoke returns Wednesday
WASHINGTON – A humid and cloudy Tuesday across the D.C. area, with highs in the mid-80s and a chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Morning temperatures range from the upper 60s to low 70s, with dense air making outdoor conditions uncomfortable.
Storms and humidity
What we know:
Spotty showers may develop early, particularly south toward Fredericksburg and southern Maryland, as well as northwest near Hagerstown and parts of West Virginia.
A cold front is expected to move through later in the day, bringing relief from high humidity and reducing the risk of showers and storms.
Temperatures should peak around 84 degrees, with a chance of pop-up storms through the afternoon. Skies will clear overnight, and humidity will drop, leading to drier conditions by Wednesday.
Wildfire smoke returns
Wednesday will be less humid, though Canadian wildfire smoke is expected to return, creating hazy sunshine.
By late this week, clouds will build again as temperatures rise, bringing unsettled weather heading into the weekend.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
WorldPride D.C. is now a wrap. The three week festival brought millions of people to the nation’s capital.
WTOP is marking Pride Month by showcasing the people, places and important issues in the LGBTQ+ communities in the D.C. area. Check back all throughout June as we share these stories, on air and online.
WorldPride D.C. is now a wrap. The three week festival brought millions of people to the nation’s capital.
On the last day of the festival, WTOP spoke to both D.C.-area residents and people who traveled to the District to be a part of only the second WorldPride in the U.S.
“I’m loving it here!,” said Angel Creek, a first-time WorldPride attendee. The Chicago native was joined by fellow Howard University student Venus Burrell.
Creek said her favorite parts of WorldPride were the outfits, the amount of color and the small businesses who had tents at the festival.
One D.C. business that once again was turning heads at the festival was Jimmy Trendy. Owner Jaime Quintero told WTOP that as a local business owner, he felt a duty to support the community and be there.
“This year has been amazing, because it’s WorldPride,” Quintero said.
The three week festival has been two-and-a-half years in the making thanks to the work from the Capitol Pride Alliance, which produced WorldPride.
Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance, told WTOP that 500 volunteers helped with the three week festival.
“The volunteers, the staff, the board, the whole nine, really trying to pull all this together, and our partners, that’s the only way we were able to do it,” Smith said Saturday.
One of the partners was the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs and its director, Japer Bowles.
Social media influencer Jose Romero, known as @DCHomos, who’s also marketing executive producer for Capital Pride Alliance, said he was impressed with the D.C.-area’s LGBTQ+ community, who lent a helping hand.
“The new volunteers, so many people that haven’t volunteered before, are here, welcoming the world and making this happen,” Romero said.
One of those welcomed was Devin Plant, who traveled with friends to join the celebration in D.C.
“You don’t have anything like this in Maine,” Plant said. “I think we have one singular gay bar in the whole state.
Plant joked that there are so few gay people in his hometown Bangor, that if he opens a dating app, he knows everyone on it.
This was Plant’s first trip to D.C. since he was in middle school.
“This historic event is probably something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Plant said.
Another thing Plant said he won’t forget for a while is the sunburn he received during the parade, joking that there isn’t as much sun in Maine.
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Parents explain why they bring their children to WorldPride
One of the most impressive displays during the parade, which had 300 groups marching, was a 1,000-foot Pride Flag — said to be the world’s largest.
D.C.-area resident Allison Moody, who helped carry the giant Pride Flag, said it was stitched by the original creator of the Pride Flag, Gilbert Baker.
So, how big was the parade’s crowd size?
Smith said he had received estimates of 1.5 million attendees observing the parade as it moved along 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The streets are much bigger than the traditional route though D.C.’s Dupont neighborhood.
Last year, the parade used the same route as a test run for this year’s WorldPride — and it seems like this new pride route is permanent.
“There may be some changes to it slightly, but we’ll try to keep it the same route as much as
we can,” Smith said.
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