washington, d.c. – volunteers braved near-freezing temperatures in the 30s on saturday, hauling soggy suitcases, rusted tires, abandoned toilets and bags of food wrappings at pope branch park near the anacostia river. by the end of the day, they had collected nearly 4,000 pounds of illegally dumped waste.

the annual cleanup, hosted by the anacostia riverkeeper, honored the rev. dr. martin luther king jr.’s legacy of service and justice, turning environmental action into a fight for civil rights.

dr. king reminded citizens that life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “what are you doing for others?” volunteers answered this question through action to restore the anacostia river and the surrounding community.

dolly davis, executive director and site leader of pope branch park restoration alliance, has led community cleanups since 1999. her experience as an advisory neighborhood commissioner in 2001 prompted her to investigate issues in her community.

“one of the biggest problems i found was illegal dumping,” davis recalls. “i started getting involved to really understand my community.”

davis has continued advocating for and protecting her twining neighborhood, partnering with the anacostia watershed society, the anacostia riverkeeper, brenda richardson of anacostia park community collaborative and nathan harrington of ward 8 woods.

the d.c. department of energy and environment enforcement (doee) has also helped davis with enforcing back road surveillance and issuing fines of up to $40,000 for illegal dumping. for years, davis struggled to engage csx transportation, a major freight rail company whose tracks run through southeast d.c., an area historically burdened by industrial pollution. after two decades of efforts, the nonprofit ward 8 woods recently received a $6,500 grant from csx to help develop a trail along unused tracks.

“they’re at the table, and they’re working with us,” davis said. “and we’re going to create this hiker-biker trail where kids can ride, seniors can walk and people can rehab.”

a community of volunteers

many volunteers returned from last year’s cleanup, eager to be part of a community initiative. “service is what my husband and i try to share with our kids,” jenee edgerton said, a ward 7 resident and community volunteer. “coming together and participating in the day of service brings us closer as a community and family.”

some volunteers joined to increase their community engagement. “it’s important to give back and help the community,” sharina shuler, a howard university alumna, said. “my goal this year was to be more active and do more service. no matter how far you get in life, it’s always important to give back.”

trey sherard, anacostia riverkeeper, has been involved with the river cleanup program for over a decade. he emphasized that the event has grown into one of the largest community-driven cleanups in d.c., with over 400 volunteers participating last year and more than 90 braving this year’s frozen river stream.

sherard connected the event’s mission to king’s legacy, explaining that it was originally started by dolly davis and joseph glover, former deacon of pennsylvania avenue baptist church, to improve the community. “it has been awesome since,” sherard said.

pollution in the anacostia

not only is the surrounding land affected, but the anacostia river itself has long been polluted by industrial runoff. sherard noted that while conditions have improved, challenges remain. he highlighted “forever chemicals” or pfas (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are even more toxic in small doses than pcbs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

pcbs are manmade chemicals once widely used in electrical equipment like capacitors due to their heat and pressure. though banned in 1979, these oily, odorless substances persist in soil and waterways, making cleanup efforts even more difficult.

“pfas are in most of what we wear — stain-repellent, water-repellent fabrics, flame retardants, all of those things,” sherard said. “they’re everywhere, and they’re toxic at even smaller doses.”

the anacostia river faces contamination issues, including:

• oil leaks, reckless dumping and industrial waste accidents, such as overturned coal cars and polluting water.
• toxic pollutants that settle in the riverbed, affecting bottom-feeders like catfish.
• bioaccumulation of petroleum and heavy metals, which pose health risks to immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women.
• restrictions that limit consumption of fish from the river.

karim marshall, former senior advisor for environmental justice and external civil rights for the u.s. environmental protection agency, explained: “the environmental justice movement has always been a civil rights movement. the short answer to all this is that we need to be serious and intentional about the decisions we make as a city.”

to combat contamination, d.c. has focused on capping polluted riverbed soil with clean sediment to reduce exposure. marshall acknowledged that while capping isn’t a perfect solution, it significantly lowers contamination risks compared to natural attenuation — a slower option to reduce contaminants without human intervention.

“the capping method helps prevent river life from coming into contact with pollutants, reducing the overall risk,” marshall explained.

in 2023, d.c. attorney general brian l. schwalb defended the anacostia river sediment project (arsp), citing the severe impact of pollution. following this, pepco, one of the river’s biggest polluters, paid $60 million in restitution, received by the office of the attorney general (oag).

but private industry was not the only culprit. for decades, the u.s. government contributed to the river’s contamination through hazardous waste discharge at the washington navy yard, chemical dumping from federal printing facilities, and poor sewage and wastewater management. schwalb sued the u.s. government on jan. 10 for its continued pollution of the anacostia river, which he called d.c.’s most vital natural resource.

“we’re playing a long game here. part of that means that you get setbacks occasionally, but you never stop fighting,” marshall said. “and you make sure that the things that are worth fighting for get the support they deserve.”

the u.s. has used the anacostia river as an industrial, cost-free dumping site for over 150 years, depositing cancer-causing pcbs, pesticides and heavy metals into its waters, according to the oag. these pollutants pose serious health risks to both residents and wildlife. the oag’s lawsuit seeks to hold the federal government accountable for cleanup costs to protect the health and safety of d.c. communities.

the biden-harris administration has taken steps to strengthen environmental protections. a white house briefing stated, “the epa established the first-ever national drinking water standard for pfas, banned ongoing uses of asbestos, and strengthened lead protections and mercury and air toxics standards.” these regulations aim to address elevated cancer risks and other health hazards in communities near polluted sites.

when asked whether these protections would remain under a second trump administration, marshall responded, “i can’t comment on the intent of an incoming administration, but we are a nation of rules and laws, and the actions of the biden-harris administration have been consistent with the rule of law.” the response stops short of predicting future policy changes but undergoes the legal framework guiding environmental protections.

morghan manuel is a reporter for hunewsservice.com. this story was originally published in the howard university news service, which you can read here.