Aug 11, 2012

National Geographic: thousands fish (and eat) from the extremely toxic Anacostia River

By Steven Mandzik

In case you thought no one fished (and ate the fish) in the Anacostia River, here is an article from National Geographic:

Fishermen were casting their lines into the urban waters of Washington, D.C., into a river notorious as one of the dirtiest in the nation. What’s more, according to a recent study, they represented a small fraction of the 17,000 or more residents of this metropolitan area who are consuming fish from a river that has all the markings of a Superfund site.

Sometimes you just can’t believe it, the article even says that a sewer line directly dumps a billion gallons of human waste every year.

Yeah, the river really needs help.

 

Great Egret Ardea alba in the Anacostia River near Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Prince Georges County MD National Geographic: thousands fish (and eat) from the extremely toxic Anacostia River

It is a beautiful river – here is a Great Egret, near Bladensburg Waterfront Park, in Prince George’s County, MD. (Photo: Mr. T in DC)