The Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) will hold its first public meeting about the DC Anacostia River Corridor Restoration Plan on Thursday, September 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
This plan will focus on enhancing resiliency, restoring habitat, improving water quality, and increasing public recreation and access within the District’s 500-year floodplain located along the Anacostia River.
“The development of this plan is critical to guiding future restoration work along the more than seven miles of tidal shoreline along the Anacostia River in the District,” said DOEE Director Tommy Wells. “With three-and-a-half feet of sea level rise expected in the District by the end of the century, increased pressure from redevelopment, as well as opportunities to implement restoration with remediation of toxic sediment pollution in the Anacostia River, the time is ripe for a cohesive planning document that will help guide the District towards making one of the most polluted rivers in the country fishable and swimmable by 2032.”
DOEE is using multiple tools to gather public feedback as part of the plan’s development. The September 22 public meeting, which will be virtual via Webex, is the first of two public meetings. The second will be scheduled in early 2023. DOEE has also been attending larger public events throughout the Anacostia River corridor, such as the Chuck Brown Festival and Anacostia Park Late Skate, to capture input from the public. The agency is also conducting targeted stakeholder interviews and has posted a public survey online for community members to respond to.
To participate in the first public meeting, please register at bit.ly/3Tk7wFZ.
For more information about the project, please visit the DC Anacostia River Corridor Restoration Plan webpage.
This project is partially funded through a National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Small Watershed Grant.
