URBAN WATERS
FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP
Restoring Urban Waters, Revitalizing Communities
Anacostia Watershed (Washington, DC/Maryland)
Ambassador
Erin Garnaas-Holmes
(Anacostia Waterfront Trust)
(202)223-4560
egh@anacostiatrust.org
Co-Leads
Catherine King (EPA)
(215) 814-2657
king.catherine@epa.gov
Tammy Stidham (NPS)
(202) 619-7474
tammy_stidham@nps.gov
Overall Assessment of the Partnership since the Beginning
The Anacostia River has been part of the Urban Waters Partnership since 2011 when the first
pilot locations were selected. The watershed's relatively small size (176 square miles), as well as
its location, surrounded by federal government owned-land, is an area that has seen significant
change in recent decades. Further, there are many federal, state and local agencies, watershed
groups, and citizen-based groups that work in the watershed, challenging efforts to coordinate
projects. Despite these considerations, there has long been robust potential and varied
successes.
Many partnerships and coalitions are working to restore the river, and there is significant data
on water quality, restoration activities, and other parameters in the Anacostia. A critical element
of the Urban Waters Partnership in the Anacostia has been to plug into and enhance existing
efforts underway to restore the Anacostia and reconnect underserved communities to the river
and its waterfront, much of which is public land. There have been successful Urban Waters
initiatives in the watershed, and as the Partnership continues to evolve, the location expects to
see more project successes, and an enhanced ability to coordinate Urban Waters efforts.
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Members of the Partnership
The federal agency co-leads for the Anacostia location are the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the National Park Service (NPS). The EPA has set the regulatory framework
through Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permits for cleaning up the Anacostia River. The NPS is the largest landholder
along the Anacostia River in the District, with major parcels including Anacostia Park, Kenilworth
Park, and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The NPS therefore plays a key role in providing access,
amenities, and restoration both along and within the river. Additionally, the NPS leads outreach
programs to teach youth about the river and wildlife, while also providing workforce
development opportunities.
The EPA, NPS, and the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) jointly
fund the Anacostia Ambassador through a grant to the Anacostia Waterfront Trust. The Anacostia
Waterfront Trust is a DC-based nonprofit with a mission to work with public and private
stakeholders to catalyze and support the creation of a world-class waterfront along the Anacostia
River. The DOEE manages the District's stormwater management program and is responsible for
developing and implementing plans that will reduce pollution to sustainable levels consistent
with TMDL allocations. The DOEE also conducts stream restorations within the watershed and
provides incentives for voluntary pollutant reduction measures. Additionally, the DOEE educates
the public on watershed protection and coordinates with regional partners on Chesapeake Bay
and Anacostia River issues. Finally, DOEE, in partnership with NPS, is conducting a remedial
investigation and feasibility study of options to address the toxic contaminants in the river.
As of 2016, there are 125 members of the Urban Waters Partnership in the Anacostia River. Most
of these partners are with federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, including
environmental, watershed, and community-based organizations. Figure 1 shows the distribution
of members, and they are listed below.
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Figure 1: Distribution of Anacostia Urban Water
Partners
I Federal
I State/Local
NGO
I Private
University
The Anacostia Urban Waters Partnership also plugs into other existing partnerships that have
been created to further the restoration of the Anacostia River, including the Anacostia Watershed
Restoration Partnership, the Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River, the Anacostia Park
and Community Collaborative, and the District of Columbia (DC) Federal Stormwater
Management Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Workgroup. These partnerships and their
relationship to the Urban Waters Federal Partnership are described further in the following
sections.
List of Partners
Federal
Anacostia Community Museum
Centers for Disease Control
General Services Administration
National Capital Planning
Commission
National Institutes of Health
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
National Park Service
U.S. Department of Defense - Army
U.S. Department of Defense - Army
Corps of Engineers
U.S. Department of Defense - Navy
U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
U.S. Department of Interior
U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. Economic Development
Administration
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Geological Survey
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State/Local
DC Water
District Department of Planning and
Recreation
District Department of Energy and
Environment
District Office of the City
Administrator
District Office of Planning
Metropolitan Washington Council of
Governments
Montgomery County Department of
Environmental Protection
Prince George's County Department
of the Environment
Nongovernmental Organizations
11th Street Bridge Park
Alice Ferguson Foundation
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Anacostia Riverkeeper
Anacostia Waterfront Trust
Anacostia Watershed Society
Audubon Naturalist Society
Clean Water Action
Conservation Fund
DCAppleseed
DC Environmental Network
DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative
Earth Conservation Corps
East River Family Strengthening
Collaborative
Environmental Law Institute
Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic
Gardens
Friends of the National Arboretum
Groundswell
Groundwork Anacostia River DC
Institute for Public Health
Innovation Living Classrooms
Maryland League of Conservation
Voters
National Parks Conservation
Association
Progressive National Baptist Church
Sierra Club
The Nature Conservancy
Trash Free Maryland
Urban Institute
Washington Parks and People
Wilderness Inquiry
Zion Baptist Church of Eastland
Gardens
Universities
University of District of Columbia
Georgetown University
Private
Cohen Siegel Investors
Corvias Solutions
Mortage Bankers Association
The Summit Foundation
Ward 7 Business Partnerships
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Nature of the Partnership
Membership within the Anacostia Urban Waters Partnership is voluntary, Partners represent
organizations and individuals who have participated in Urban Waters projects in the Anacostia or
have expressed interest in being part of the Urban Waters network or participating in future
Urban Waters projects. Most of these partners also participate in at least one of the other
collaboratives that exist to restore the Anacostia River:
Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP): Founded by a resolution of the
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) in 2006, the AWRP has quantified
restoration goals for the river, developed measurements of progress, and coordinates
restoration and planning activities. Figure 2 shows AWRP's structure. The Leadership Council
does not meet regularly, but the committees meet quarterly. Most Leadership, Steering, and
Management Committee members are representatives from federal, state, and local
government agencies, whereas the Citizens Advisory Committee is comprised largely of small
watershed groups working within the Anacostia Watershed. The MWCOG employs an Anacostia
Executive Watershed Manager to coordinate the AWRP, and additional MWCOG staff provide
technical assistance. The Anacostia Ambassador is a Steering Committee member.
Figure 2: Membership and Structure of Anacostia Watershed Restoration
Partnership
Anucoslia Watershed l.tatltTsliip Council
Executive iri'f/
t Mayor. (;
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Director Tommy Wells co-chair the Council, which meets quarterly. The Anacostia Ambassador
participates in these meetings.
Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative (APACC): APACC is a collaborative of 18
community-based and citywide nonprofits working together to envision the community-driven,
equitable redevelopment of the Anacostia River parks and adjacent neighborhoods, as well as a
thorough cleanup of the Anacostia River. The Anacostia Waterfront Trust first convened APACC
in 2015, and the group meets approximately each month. The Anacostia Ambassador grant also
provides staff support for APACC; the Anacostia Ambassador participates in meetings.
District of Columbia (DC) Federal Stormwater Management Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) Workgroup: In 2013, the EPA, NPS, General Services Administration (GSA), and
Department of Defense (DoD) signed an MOU to better manage stormwater in the District of
Columbia to help meet the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Executive
Order 13508 to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay. MOU signatories and District of
Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) formed a workgroup to advance these
goals, and the Anacostia Ambassador became a member in 2016.
Since coming on board in 2016, the Anacostia Ambassador has been participating in each of these
organizations as well as meeting with members of the Urban Waters Partnership to identify
opportunities for collaboration that would facilitate restoration and revitalization. The Anacostia
Ambassador has started a blog and sends out monthly updates to the Urban Waters Partnership
members.
Organization for Planning and Action, and Researching
Consensus
The three major partnerships described above all meet on a quarterly basis with the exception
of APACC, which meets monthly. The Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership develops an
annual work plan that is approved by the Anacostia Watershed Steering Committee, of which the
Ambassador and several Urban Water partners are members.
The Anacostia Ambassador has a work plan that is approved by the EPA, NPS, DOEE and the
Anacostia Waterfront Trust, which are partners on the grant. However, there is not a work plan
for the Anacostia Urban Waters Partnership as a whole.
There was an All Partners Meeting in 2015 and a Partnership Kick-off meeting in 2011; however,
Urban Waters meetings do not occur on a regular basis in part because a number of meetings
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are already underway around the Anacostia. The Anacostia Ambassador has monthly meetings
with key NGO, federal and local government partners. The Ambassador also communicates to a
variety of forums, including a monthly blog and email updates that are distributed to the
Anacostia Urban Waters partners, a quarterly Urban Waterways newsletter that goes to a
national audience, and a forthcoming resiliency newsletter that will be distributed to District
agencies involved in the 100 Resilient Cities effort described below.
Anacostia Urban Waters workgroups and teams have formed around specific projects, such as
the East Capitol Urban Farm and the Watts Branch Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Project,
described in more detail below. The Anacostia Ambassador is exploring with partners whether it
makes sense to form ongoing workgroups or communities of practice around specific topics, as
well as the need and frequency for All Partners meetings.
Major Actions since the Beginning of the Partnership
A significant section of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail connecting Benning Road in the District to
Bladensburg Waterfront Park in Maryland opened in October 2016, creating a continuous
network of almost 70 miles of trails between the District, Montgomery County, and Prince
George's County. The Riverwalk Trail runs along the east and west banks of the river along
publicly owned land and is the culmination of over two decades of planning. It provides access to
16 waterfront communities. The NPS played a significant role in planning and securing the
funding for the final segment of the trail, which falls largely on NPS land along the river. In total,
federal, state and local funds contributed over $22 million to the project, including $10 million
from a U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER grant. Plans exist to continue expanding the trail
network, including building a bridge across the river to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to the
National Arboretum. The Anacostia Ambassador is a member of the Capital Trails Coalition, which
is working to expand trail access in the region.
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC), the DC Housing Authority (DCHA), and five
agencies with the Urban Waters Federal Partnership collaborated to create the East Capitol
Urban Farm in Ward 7 of the District across from the East Capitol Metro Station and Watts
Branch, the largest tributary to the Anacostia River. The project transformed a three-acre vacant
lot into the District's largest urban farm and innovative aquaponics facility. The farm also includes
a farmer's market, food trucks, public art, community gardens, and a discovery area for children,
bringing much-needed services to one of the largest food deserts in the city. In addition to UDC
and DCHA, partners include EPA, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, DOEE, DC
Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the DC Building Industry Association, Bradley Site
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Design, Metropolitan National Church, Groundwork Anacostia River DC, and Walmart. The
project broke ground in 2015 and opened in 2016.
Wilderness Inquiry's first Canoemobile launched from the Anacostia River in 2010, and the
Minnesota-based nonprofit has been bringing students from District and Maryland schools out
on the river every year since. The annual event partners with agencies at work along the river,
such as the NPS, the National Park Trust and the Izaak Walton League, to educate children about
water quality and native wildlife, in addition to teaching them how to paddle.
In 2016, Canoemobile on the Anacostia served 656 youth, of whom 575 were youth of color and
73 had a disability. From 2010-2016, Canoemobile has brought 2,453 youth onto the Anacostia,
of whom 1,841 were youth of color and 269 had a disability. Canoemobile has expanded to 40
other cities, many of which are also Urban Waters locations, and represent just one of the
numerous youth education and outreach programs along the Anacostia.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) contributed $100,000 to develop a web-based Anacostia River
GIS Mapping Tool for the watershed when the Anacostia was selected as a pilot of the Urban
Waters Federal Partnership. The tool included 80 existing projects and over 3,000 potential
restoration projects drawn from the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Plan, developed by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with MWCOG and federal, state, and local agencies.
Through the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership, MWCOG is currently responsible for
tracking implementation of AWRP projects.
NFWF Five-Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grants
Stream Stewards (2014)
o Partners Involved: Anacostia Watershed Society, Maryland Department of
Natural Resources, Riverdale Elementary and University Park Elementary schools
in Prince George's County
Chesapeake Bay Trash Trawl (2015)
o Partners Involved: Alice Ferguson Foundation, Trash Free Maryland, 5 Gyres
Partnership for Anacostia River Restoration and Urban Bird Education (2015 and 2016)
o Partners Involved: Earth Conservation Corps, Environment for the Americas, DC
Audubon, Brent Elementary School, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center,
Maryland Wood Duck
EPA Urban Waters Small Grants
Urban Water Watchers Program (2013-2014)
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o Partners Involved: Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region, Watkins
Elementary School in DC
Citizen Scientist Project (2013-2014)
o Partner Involved: Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
LID School Retrofits and Lesson Plans (2013-2014)
o Partners Involved: University of Maryland, New Hope Academy in Landover Hills,
Maryland
Saturday Environmental Academy (2015-2016)
o Partner Involved: Anacostia Watershed Society
Additional Partner Projects Ongoing and Underway
Data Sharing: The Anacostia Ambassador is spearheading an effort with MWCOG and the
Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership to improve data tracking, analysis and
dissemination to inform restoration and flood management efforts. In 2016, the Anacostia
Ambassador heard from multiple partners working in the watershed that shared data resources
could reduce the time that organizations spend trying to site restoration projects. Data sharing
across disciplines could also help partners prioritize projects that achieve multiple benefits, such
as water quality improvements, habitat enhancement and flood management. Finally, partners
are interested in information that would help predict the impact of project implementation and
how many additional resources are needed to achieve restoration end goals. The Ambassador
and M WCOG's Anacostia Executive Watershed Manager are working with Urban Waters partners
to conduct background research and developing options that they will present to the
Partnership's Management Committee in early 2017.
Market-Based Mechanisms to Manage Stormwater: One of the major sources of pollution to
the Anacostia River is untreated stormwater runoff, which is among the costliest sources of
pollution to address. DOEE has developed an innovative Stormwater Retention Credit (SRC)
program, which allows developers and property owners to meet up to half of their stormwater
management obligations by purchasing credits offsite. Given that the majority of development is
occurring in portions of the city where runoff would eventually be captured in the combined
sewer system and treated before discharge, greater water quality benefits can be achieved if
parties purchase SRCs from portions of the city where runoff would otherwise flow into water
bodies like the Anacostia. Doing so creates an opportunity to leverage private capital to fund
green infrastructure in underserved parts of the city. The Anacostia Ambassador has been
working to promote participation in the SRC program in a manner that increases environmental
and social benefits, including participating in a White House Roundtable on Market-Based
Mechanisms to Restore Chesapeake Bay, working with the Federal Stormwater MOU Workgroup
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to determine if federal agencies have the authority to participate in the SRC program and
evaluating policy options that would increase the water quality benefits associated with the
program.
Major Actions Planned for the Future
100 Resilient Cities: The District of Columbia became a part of the Rockefeller Foundation's 100
Resilient Cities (100RC) network in 2016. 100RC is dedicated to helping cities become more
resilient to physical, social and economic challenges. The Anacostia Ambassador is working
closely with the District's 100RC launch team to consider how restoring the Anacostia, developing
resiliency corridors, addressing flood risks in the watershed, improving access to public resources,
and addressing the socioeconomic challenges in nearby communities could be a focus of the
District's 100RC effort.
Facilitating Stakeholder Engagement with NPS: Tara Morrison took the helm in December 2016
as the new Superintendent of NPS National Capital Parks-East, which includes Anacostia Park and
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The incoming Superintendent has expressed interest in working
with the Anacostia Ambassador to convene a stakeholders meeting or meetings that would
identify priorities and opportunities for partnership and collaboration among NPS and the
surrounding community.
Envisioning a Resilient Anacostia Waterfront: The public lands along the Anacostia River
represent a substantial opportunity for projects that would improve the health of the river and
the surrounding communities.
The Anacostia Ambassador will work with NPS, DC's Office of Planning and DOEE, Urban Waters
Federal Partners, community-based organizations such as APACC and others how the Urban
Waters Federal Partnership and entities such as APACC could best engage in and support the
development and implementation of a vision forthe Anacostia waterfront. Projects could include
engaging in planning efforts led by NPS or the District, connecting partners involved in innovative
shoreline restoration techniques, researching best practices from around the globe for urban
waterfronts, and/or convening an Anacostia Visioning Symposium.
Challenges
There are a variety of factors and challenges in the Anacostia watershed. Moving forward, this
Urban Waters location seeks to find creative solutions to increase coordination among new and
existing partners to add value, while avoiding gridlock. The Anacostia Ambassador will work with
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key partners to consider different types of governance structures, such as an Urban Waters
Steering Committee, Workgroups, or Communities of Practice, that could inform the Urban
Waters Federal Partnership and support partners to move forward on key initiatives.
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