In Washington, D.C., the city’s ‘forgotten river’ cleans up, slowly

WASHINGTON — Bruce Holmes, 65, grew up fishing on the Anacostia River, a 9-mile urban waterway that flows through Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland, and has long been defined by pollution and neglect. “There are still challenges,” she said, “but people feel more connected to the river.” A volunteer uses a scale to weigh trash collected on the bank of the Anacostia River following a cleanup, on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Anacostia Park in Washington. Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard examines a volunteer's trash weigh-in following a park cleanup on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Anacostia Park in Washington. “That’s a little bit of a stretch,” he said, “but I can actually say, because I’ve been fishing out here for years, I’ve seen some big changes.” Volunteers collect trash items during a park cleanup on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Anacostia Park in Washington. Volunteers carry bags of trash collected along the river trail to a sorting site on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Anacostia Park in Washington.