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The Water Quality Division evaluates the health of the District’s waters and aquatic resources, establishes and enforces water quality standards, sets targets for pollution reduction, develops implementation strategies to meet standards, tracks and reports on restoration progress, and manages local and federal funds to achieve these goals.
The main water bodies in the District, the Potomac River, Anacostia River, and Rock Creek, have routinely fallen below water quality standards established to protect humans, fish, and wildlife. Contaminants enter the District’s rivers and streams through spills, contaminated land, stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), non-point source runoff and pollutants that originate from outside the District. DOEE is implementing a variety of programs to improve the quality of these valuable natural resources.
Water Quality Services
- Water Quality Standards – These standards are the basis for the District’s water quality programs and goals for rivers and streams. Learn about them, archived standards, and the SITE study.
- MS4 Permit Program – The District’s MS4 permit regulates stormwater and pollutant discharges from the separate storm sewer system.
- Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) – TMDLs focus on identifying and restoring polluted rivers, streams, and other surface water bodies. The District has several TMDLs for its waters and also collaborates with local partners on regional TMDLs, find them here at TMDL Program Documents.
- Water Quality Permits and Certifications – NPDES permits, Well and Soil Boring Permits, Wetland Permits are all important to the protection of the District’s water quality. Learn more about DOEE’s permits and certifications.
- Clean Water Construction Program – This program distributes federal grant funding for the design and construction of voluntary projects that work to improve the quality of the District’s streams and rivers.
- Report Water Pollution – Help protect the District's rivers & streams. Report pollution in minutes using DOEE's new online portal. Upload photos, mark location, and track your complaint. Your report keeps our water clean and healthy!
- Swimming & Water Quality – Learn about the work DOEE is doing to prepare for safe swimming in the District’s rivers and stream. Get more information about the swimming ban exemption permit.
- Monitoring Program – Want to learn more about your local waters? You can check out the variety of parameters that DOEE monitors for at the Stream Condition Index, MS4 Permit Monitoring, algae and cyanobacteria blooms monitoring.
- DOEE GIS data and Dashboards – Here’s where DOEE keeps its environmental GIS data.
- The Stream Condition Index (SCI) – This index is a grade card scoring District rivers and streams. Learn about your local streams using the Stream Explorer or dive deeper into the data DOEE collects to study these streams using the Data Explorer.
- Concerned about the Potomac Interceptor issue? Learn more.
- Looking for more data about the District's rivers and streams? Check out DOEE's Water Quality Dashboard and the Rapid Stream Assessment Data Dashboard!
- Research and Studies – Learn more about DOEE research like testing soil amendment techniques, water quality monitoring, and post-restoration project monitoring. New research and data will be posted online as it becomes available.
- Regulations – Learn more about the regulations that govern our work, like the Water Pollution Control Act, Wetland Regulations, Erosion and Sediment Control Regulations.
- Publications – Interested in learning more about water quality? Visit DOEE’s publication page for documents like our Integrated Report, MS4 permit reports, Continuing Planning Process for Water Quality Management, and more.