Potomac and Anacostia Rivers

Title

Potomac and Anacostia Rivers

Description

The southern boundary of Washington, DC, is bordered by two rivers: the Potomac and the Anacostia. The rivers have long had problems with pollution from human and industrial waste. In the 1860s, President Lincoln used to complain of the smell of the rivers, retreating to Soldier's Home to escape. In the 1970s, President Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to reverse decades of pollution, making the rivers a focus of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Today the rivers are improving, but still suffer from pollution.

Source

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. View original.

Physical Description

The Potomac River is 405 miles long, running through West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. The Anacostia River is 8.4 miles long, running through Maryland, and Washington, DC.

Description

The southern boundary of Washington, DC, is bordered by two rivers: the Potomac and the Anacostia. The rivers have long had problems with pollution from human and industrial waste. In the 1860s, President Lincoln used to complain of the smell of the rivers, retreating to Soldier's Home to escape. In the 1970s, President Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to reverse decades of pollution, making the rivers a focus of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Today the rivers are improving, but still suffer from pollution.

Coverage

Pre-1800s

Source

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. View original.

Geolocation