Pontoon Boat Tour on the Anacostia

This past Thursday, I took a guided pontoon boat tour with the Anacostia Watershed Society’s water quality specialist, Masaya Maeda.  He takes a trip out on the river every Thursday or more to conduct tests and take samples in a few sampling locations. We made our way easily down the river during high tide and only occasionally ran over hidden branches in the water.  

Masaya Maeda (AWS) and a film graduate student (American Univ.)

View of the Anacostia River

Bladensburg Waterfront Park

Masaya gave a lot of history on the river and the AWS between sampling sites.  I learned that the river is dredged very year or two to make sure it can be used for recreational purposes (pontoons, rowing boats, etc.).  He showed us some walls that were built in the Depression era (by the CCC), that he believes should be removed to improve the river and surrounding habitat.  And one of the most interesting pieces of history he shared was the changing shape of the river over time.  He provided a series of maps (see below) that show the evolution of the river with a meandering shape in 1938 and how the U.S. Army Corps or Engineers were charged with altering the route of the river so that it runs straight (as seen in the 2009 picture).  The result is Dueling Creek, where the curve of the river used run to the east of the main pathway.

Stone wall from 1930s

Dueling Creek

Maps showing River History

Sampling included looking at pH level, water temperature, water clarity, collecting water samples to measure bacteria (put on ice in a cooler), and another measure or two I didn’t catch.  On days he’s not sampling, he may be checking his many trash traps or doing lab work.  

Masaya pointed out a common invasive plant, phragmites (the common reed—see more about this in my September 13^th post).  Geese will come and eat all of the native plants they are used to and leave these behind, which in turn causes them to have even more of an advantage.  To protect native species, the USACE has built fences around the plants that Masaya swears keeps the animals away to allow them to grow.  The USACE have also introduced a non-native plant (spotted dog?) in their constructed wetland that animals are not prone to eating, allowing it to grow and support ecosystem functions.

Phragmites (invasive plant)

Native plants protected by fence

Constructed wetland by USACE

I asked Masaya what the biggest problem facing the Anacostia Watershed was and he answered, “stormwater runoff.”  Stormwater runoff is associated with the most parameters that affect the water quality.  He supports the new stormwater regulations and looks forward to when DC Water will complete their storage facilities to contain any sewage overflow that, as of now, about 60% of the overflow still goes directly into the river after a heavy rainfall.  DC Water should have the storage tunnels built by 2018, he said, which should reduce 98% of fecal material from entering the river (See more information on the Anacostia River Tunnel Project).

Main CSO outfall (where overflow sewage enters river)