Navy Yard in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Restore and Connect
Water Is Life
Uniting a City by Revitalizing a River
For thousands of years, rivers have been the engines that fueled the world's greatest cities. But for decades, Washington's Anacostia River had been a symbol of pollution and division. Then in 2000, an unprecedented coalition of civic leaders and residents conceived the Anacostia Watershed Initiative (AWI), a comprehensive efforts to bring the river—and the waterfront—back to life.
One top priority is to restore the Anacostia to the full environmental health— eliminating pollution, bringing back streams and wetlands, and even making the river swimmable by 2025. Another is to connect DC residents to the waterfront and to each other through a series of transit-related initiatives, from making it possible to walk and bike along the entire waterfront to reconnecting the city's street grid to waterfront parks.
Can a Nickel Save a River?
Plastic bags people threw away were trapping and killing fish and birds in the river, so a DC law was implemented in January of 2010 making people pay a nickel from every bag they got from a store. Since then
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 2000.
Location. 38° 52.358′ N, 77° 0.198′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Navy Yard. Marker is on Anacostia Riverwalk Trail east of 1st Street Southeast, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Play (here, next to this marker); Clean Rivers Project (a few steps from this marker); Historic Pumping Station (a few steps from this marker); Foundry (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lumber Shed - Form and Function (about 600 feet away); The River in Focus (about 600 feet away); Radio Towers (about 600 feet away); Lumber Shed - Movement of Materials (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southeast Washington.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 137 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 15, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.