The highly urbanized Anacostia River watershed drains approximately 176 square miles of portions of Maryland and the District. The Anacostia River and its tributaries were listed in 1998 for elevated levels of organics and metals in fish tissue and sediment.
The Anacostia Toxics TMDLs (approved in 2003) were challenged in court by Friends of the Earth v. EPA 446 F.3d 140 (D.C. Cir. 2006) because the loads were not expressed as daily loads. Following the case, a settlement agreement was reached between EPA and Anacostia Riverkeeper, Friends of the Earth, and Potomac Riverkeeper (Case No.: 1:09-cv-00098-JDB of January 15, 2009). To meet the settlement requirements, DOEE collaborated with EPA to replace these TMDLs and express the loads in daily terms.
In March 2024, DOEE submitted the final revision of Anacostia Toxics Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. The TMDLs were approved on March 29, 2024, and replace the Anacostia Toxics TMDLs which were approved in 2003.
The 2024 final approved TMDL documents for organics and metals of the Anacostia watershed within the District are included below. Superseded and archived versions of the previous TMDL are also included below.
