Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs The District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Friday, alleging that pollution in the Anacostia River has caused “catastrophic harm” to the predominantly low-income and minority communities residing along the urban waterway.A statement from D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb’s office accused federal agencies of “treating the rover as toxic waste dump” while seeking “accountability for necessary cleanup.”Why It MattersThe lawsuit claims that pollution has resulted in swimming bans and fishing advisories along the Anacostia River, identifying the federal government as its largest contributor to the contamination.The lawsuit comes amid ongoing efforts by the District of Columbia to restore the Anacostia River to its former vitality, a time when residents fished, boated and wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, cranes, kingfishers and eels flourished along its waters.What To KnowThe lawsuit contends that the federal government, which owns and manages the Anacostia Riverbed, has been polluting the waterway since the 1800s, dumping toxic waste, heavy metals and carcinogenic chemicals like PCBs while neglecting cleanup efforts. The nine-mile river, which runs through Washington, D.C., and parts of Maryland, was used for decades as a dumping site for industrial waste, storm runoff and trash—pollution that Schwalb’s lawsuit contends disproportionately impacts communities of color.
Stairs to a floating dock are seen along the Anacostia River are seen outside the National Arboretum May 16, 2016, in Washington, D.C. On Friday, the D.C. Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against the…
Stairs to a floating dock are seen along the Anacostia River are seen outside the National Arboretum May 16, 2016, in Washington, D.C. On Friday, the D.C. Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing it of using the Anacostia River as a ‘”oxic waste dump.”
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The lawsuit accuses the federal government of dumping PCBs from the Washington Navy Yard, hazardous chemicals from the Kenilworth Landfill and chemical waste from federal printing facilities into the Anacostia River. It further claims that mismanagement of the District of Columbia’s sewer system resulted in raw sewage and toxic waste flowing into the waterway.The Justice Department did not immediately provide a response to requests for comment from The Associated Press.The statement from Schwalb’s office highlighted the enduring impact of pollutants in the Anacostia River, noting that they do not degrade over time and pose serious risks to the environment, aquatic wildlife and human health, including cancer, neurological and developmental disorders and birth defects.The District of Columbia is calling on the federal government to fund the cleanup of the Anacostia River.Upgrades For RiverD.C. Water, the city’s water utility, reports that a $3.29 billion sewer upgrade—including an extensive network of tunnels beneath Washington, D.C., designed to capture stormwater and sewage—has cut overflows into the Anacostia River by 91 percent. The final segment of the Anacostia Tunnel System became operational in 2023, and the full system is projected to reduce overflows by 98 percent.Pepco, Washington, D.C.’s utility provider, agreed to pay over $57 million in a settlement with the District of Columbia for decades of hazardous chemical discharges from its power plants into soil, groundwater and storm sewers, contaminating the Anacostia River and surrounding areas. The settlement is considered the largest in the company’s history.What People Are SayingD.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement: “The federal government has been the number one driver of pollution in the Anacostia River for over 150 years, treating the District’s iconic natural resource as a cost-free dumping ground for the toxic waste and chemicals it generated.” Carmel Henry, president of the NAACP D.C. Branch, said in the statement released by Schwalb’s office: “There are two rivers that flow through the District of Columbia, but for too long the Anacostia River has remained a troubled and contaminated body of water. The District of Columbia deserves full enforcement of the Clean Water Act and all applicable laws to ensure the full restoration of the Anacostia River and associated waterways. As the nation’s Capital, the District should be a premier model for residents to access waterways which are safe, swimmable and fishable.”What’s NextIt is currently unclear how the federal government will respond to the lawsuit.This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
