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 there are a lot fewer
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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. It 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.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 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);
Other markers no longer nearby. The Lumber Shed (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Twelve12 (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Bixby (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); USDOT (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Dock 79 (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Audi Field (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Nationals Park (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Yards Park (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); 1221 Van (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); 99M (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
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 288 times since then and 18 times this year. 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.
