July 11, 2018 — It might be hard to imagine now, but the DC Department of Energy and the Environment says the Anacostia River will be swimmable and fishable in the next 14 years. How will it get there? As part of the ongoing effort to clean up the river and fulfill the promises of the Anacostia 2032 plan, the department, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Anacostia Watershed Society, is attempting to outsource some of the cleanup to an unlikely crew: freshwater mussels.
In June, floating baskets and submerged silos containing dozens of baby mussels from a hatchery—each about as big as a sunflower seed—were placed in the water, from Buzzard Point to Bladensburg, as part of a 10-week study. The team has since been conducting weekly water-quality checks, and the progress so far is encouraging. On Monday, Fred Pinkney, a Fish and Wildlife environmental contaminants specialist, measured some of the mussels under the 11th Street bridge and by a pier at the Yards. Both locations showed promising growth.
If the mussels are thriving, that’s great news for the status of the river. Mussels are a biological indicator species. When they die off or fail to thrive, it means the water can’t support the ecosystem. In two more weeks—the halfway point of the 10-week study—all of the mussels will get their first official measurement.