Tag Archives: potomac river

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Water, Water Everywhere

Photo courtesy of
‘Potomac River – Traffic on the Key Bridge – 04-20-10’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

I went for a swim in the Potomac River this weekend, and right before I jumped in the water I heard two fellow triathletes have the following conversation:
Triathlete 1: I have a friend who signed up for this race, but he dropped out because he has an Ironman tri coming up, and he wanted to be healthy for it.
Triathlete 2: (confused look)
Triathlete 1: Oh, you didn’t know?  The Potomac River is one of the dirtiest rivers in the country, and people have caught hepatitis from it.  He wanted to make sure he didn’t catch anything during today’s swim.
Triathlete 2: Oh my God.

The triathletes then continued to discuss the poor quality of the river they were about to jump into.  I doubted that anyone could catch hepatitis from a body of water (but apparently I was wrong), but I started to wonder whether it was true that the Potomac River was one of the worst in the country.  So after swimming, biking, and running around the District, I decided to sit down and put this myth to the test.  Is DC home to the most polluted rivers in America?

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The Daily Feed
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8-Foot Shark in Potomac

Photo courtesy of
‘Happy Shark Week 2010!’
courtesy of ‘~Daniel The Animal Lover Techie.TaiShan4Ever~’

Think the scariest thing about swimming in the Potomac River is the pollution?  Think again.  An 8-foot shark was caught in the Potomac River on Monday (way out in St. Mary’s County MD– but it’s all the same water, people!), and the fisherman who caught it has the pictures to prove it.

As someone who will be jumping into the Potomac River in a little over a week for the Nation’s Triathlon, I think this is the best motivation imaginable to cut minutes off my swim time.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Rock Creek Park Now Free of Hair Extensions

Photo courtesy of
‘Rock Creek – P Street Bridge Cleanup-7’
courtesy of ‘TrailVoice’

Thank you to all who attended the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup that We Love DC sponsored with Trail Voice, Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment, and the DC Trash Runners on Saturday! More than 60 people attended, improving our park by removing:

  • 50 bags of trash
  • 38 bags of recyclables
  • 500 plastic bags (yay, new bag fee!)
  • 3,000 cigarette butts
  • Top 3 brands of trash: Bud/Busch, Deer Park, and Durex
  • Interesting items: Plastic sword, old-school cell phone, umbrella, suitcase, hair extension

See more pictures from the event on Flickr. Special thanks to Trail Voice for the photos and the great job with planning! Come join us next time!

The Daily Feed
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Flood Warning

Flooded Washington Harbour 2

The Washington Harbour Boardwalk in Georgetown is underwater this morning, as the muddy, debris-strewn Potomac River swells to flood level following Sunday and Monday’s rain. NWS has issued a Coastal Flood Warning for our area. Highest afternoon tides will be around 5:30PM.

The rest of the Harbour is behind a floodwall that they have ready just for these occasions, so those of you who eat at Tony & Joe’s, Agraria, Cabanas, Nick’s Riverside Grill, and Sequioa should be just fine and dry.

After the jump, a video of how fast the river is moving, more photos, and the view from Old Town: Continue reading →