District Waterways Management

The mission of the Office of District Waterways Management (Office) is to plan, promote, advocate for, and facilitate stakeholder cooperation for the diverse uses of and access to the Anacostia and Potomac River, the Washington Channel, and adjacent property. In pursuit of this goal, the Office supports the work of the District Waterways Advisory Commission to develop a strategic vision for the District’s navigable waterways.

The Council of the District of Columbia established the Office (DC Code 8-191.02(c)(2)) within the DOEE in 2023.

District Waterways Advisory Commission

District Waterways Advisory Commission (Commission) was established by the DC Council to advise the Office and to develop and adopt a strategic vision for the District’s waterways. The Commission is comprised of 30 members - 14 voting members and 16 non-voting ex-officio members.

The voting members are nominated by the Mayor and the Chairman of the Council. These voting members were selected from various constituencies of waterways users for their knowledge of the local waterways or for their subject matter expertise. The non-voting members represent various District and Federal agencies.

The current composition of the Commission is outlined below:

Commission Seat	Commissioner	Organization	Term End Date
Mayoral Appointed Voting Members
Chairperson	Darryl Madden		12/1/2028
Athletics and Recreation	Jorge Galindo	Anacostia Community Boathouse	4/19/2026
Economic Development or Tourism	Thomas Skinner	Redbrick LMD	4/19/2026
Environmental Stewardship	Trey Sherard	Anacostia Riverkeeper	4/19/2029
Maritime Management or Policy	Melissa Bird		12/1/2028
Maritime Transportation	Nate Handy	City Cruises	4/19/2029
Public safety	Diane Groomes	District Wharf Properties	4/19/2026
Council Appointed Voting Members
ANC Commissioner	Ebony Payne	ANC 7D05	12/16/2028
ANC Commissioner	Robin McKinney	ANC 8A06	12/16/2028
BID Representative	Ted Jutras	Capitol Riverfront BID	12/16/2028
BID Representative	Kristina Noell	Anacostia BID	12/16/2028
Marina / Yacht Club Representative	Jason Kopp	Gangplank Slipholders Association	12/16/2027
Marina / Yacht Club Representative	Tim Johnson	Washington Canoe Club	12/16/2027
Expert in Waterway Management	Rachel Clark	R Clark Consulting	12/16/2027
District Agency Non-Voting Members
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development	Gilles Stucker
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice
Metropolitan Police Department	Andrew Horos
Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department	Michael Puglisi
District Department of Transportation	Kirti Rajpurohit
Department of Energy and Environment	Gretchen Mikeska
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority	Matt Ries
Washington Convention and Sports Authority	Hootan Kaboli
Public Service Commission	Danielle Gurkin
Department of Housing and Community Development
Department of Parks and Recreation	Riley Piva
Federal Agency Non-Voting Members
National Park Service	Patrick Campbell
United States Coast Guard	Kate Newkirk
Department of Defense	Ryan Gaul
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority	Ryan Washington
National Capital Planning Commission	Diane Sullivan

District Waterways Advisory Plan

Please visit engage.dc.gov/districtwaterwaysadvisoryplan to learn about upcoming meetings and other opportunities to participate in the development of the District Waterways Advisory Plan (Advisory Plan).

The Advisory Plan will set out a strategic vision for the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, the Washington Channel, and adjacent property. Over the past two decades these areas have seen substantial change and increased activation. To facilitate this growth in a safe, equitable, and sustainable manner, an Advisory Plan is needed to bring together diverse perspectives and considerations to guide coordinated and thoughtful decision-making.

The Advisory Plan will be developed by the Commission with support from the Office and input from the public and stakeholders. The plan will prioritize concrete, realistic actions, ranging from quick wins and pilot projects to longer-term investments. It will define ownership and roles, reducing ambiguity around responsibilities and helping leaders and stakeholders understand their role in implementation. Specifically, the Advisory Plan will outline goals and strategies to address the following topics:

1. The orderly, safe, and efficient use of the District’s waterways for boating and recreation
2. Public and private uses of property and infrastructure adjacent to the District’s waterways
3. Interagency and regional coordination on issues relevant to the District’s waterways and adjacent property
4. Environmental conservation and management of the District’s waterways and adjacent property
5. Strategies for coordinated economic growth on and adjacent to the District’s waterways
6. Assessments of safety and security risks and needs on and adjacent to the District’s waterways
7. Identification of transportation gaps on and adjacent to the District’s waterways
8. Opportunities to increase local control of the District’s waterways and adjacent property

Attend a Commission Meeting

All Commission meetings will be open to the public. A schedule of Commission meetings and related materials will be listed here once they are scheduled.

Contact Us

The Office of District Waterways Management looks forward to engaging with the public on this important work. If you’d like received updates on the Office and Waterways Commission please subscribe.

For questions, please contact the Office at [email protected].

Additional Resources:

• Office of District Waterways Management Establishment Act of 2022