A cool dip in the water would feel nice on a hot week during D.C.'s summer.
Soon, you may be able to add the Anacostia River to your list of places to cool off from the heat — just for one day.
NBC Washington first told you about the Splash event on the Anacostia in July. However, it was postponed after heavy rain caused concern about sewage overflow.
Not to worry! Splash is expected to go on as originally planned on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the dock on Kingman Island. It would be the first permitted swim in the Anacostia River in 50 years.
This event will give DMV residents aged 18 and older the unique chance to swim in and reconnect with the Anacostia River.
Only registered participants can swim; the event was listed as sold out a day after sign-ups went live.
For the first time in decades, an environmental group says it's finally safe to swim in the river on many days. However, it's still not allowed unless there's a permitted event, such as a triathlon. Both the Anacostia and Potomac rivers also have strong currents that pose a danger to swimmers.
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The Anacostia River Splash will be the reward for years of effort to clean up the Anacostia.
Swimming in the Anacostia River became illegal in 1971 due to concerns about sewage and bacteria. Both the Potomac and Anacostia rivers still experience sewer overflow events, when raw sewage flows in during heavy rainstorms.
But in 2005, work began to improve it under the Clean Water Act. By 2018, the Anacostia River Tunnel was able to capture enough waste that the District decided to allow permitted swim events.
The DC Citizen Sciences Water Quality monitoring program has tracked the river's environmental progress since 2018.
“In 2022, monitoring sites at Kingman Island, Buzzards Point, and Washington Channel passed recreational water quality standards over 90% of the time,” the Anacostia Riverkeeper reported.
"DOEE is proud to support our grantees' work in improving the water quality of the District to ensure we reach Mayor Bowser’s goal of the District’s rivers becoming swimmable and fishable,” the Department of Energy and Environment's Acting Director Richard Jackson, said.
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