D.C. Bacteria Monitoring

The Anacostia Riverkeeper has partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (CMC), Audubon Naturalists Society, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, and Rock Creek Conservancy through a grant from the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) to start a bacteria monitoring program in Washington, D.C. The purpose of this project is to to make E.coli data directly accessible to the public, which will hopefully educate communities about water quality health in areas where aquatic recreational activities are most popular. The project team hosted two events in April where over 100 volunteers were trained to sample 23 sample sites throughout DC.  These sample sites were specifically chosen for their designation as aquatic recreational area. Samples will be collected on a weekly basis from April to September, and data will be accessible to the public through SwimGuide and the Chesapeake Data Explorer.

Photo Credit: Liz Chudoba for CMC, 2019