To this day, the Potomac River is considered by many Washingtonians to be “toxic” as a result of its incredible pollution levels in the past, and while those who think this may be surprised to hear how far the cleanup has come over the years, unfortunately, they would still be right.
The Potomac River just received its official health ‘report card’ from the Potomac Conservancy, and for the 10th year in a row, it received a “B” grade.
What does a “B” grade for the Potomac River’s health score mean?
Despite the incredible progress, considering the Potomac was given a “D” grade as recently as 2011, the Potomac River is still considered too toxic and polluted for humans to swim in it or consume any fish caught in it.
All in all, the “B” grade notes the following factors, some of which are going well and others are going poorly.
Doing well:
- Levels of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and sediments (the top river pollutants) have all declined.
- Over 20% of the Potomac’s forest and farmland is now conserved.
- Public access to the river has increased; there’s been around a 10% increase in river recreation since 2020.
Not doing well:
- Polluted runoff is on the rise.
- Native fish species are struggling.
- Smallmouth bass populations are struggling to recover, while striped bass and white perch are on the decline as a result of a degraded underwater habitat.
- Inconsistent progress along sections of the river
- Not all states along the Potomac have made the same level of progress at the same rate.
In spite of all this, you may be surprised to hear Potomac River still supplies drinking water for around five million people.
What is stopping the Potomac River from receiving an “A” grade?
According to the 2025 report card, there were several key concerns that they considered to be major obstacles that have to be addressed before the Potomac River can earn an “A”.
However, the report card highlighted that there is really only one source of pollution that has actually been increasing in recent years: Urban Polluted Runoff.
Urban Polluted Runoff refers to excess rainwater that flows across paved or hardened surfaces, carrying pollutants like street oils, lawn fertilizers, trash, and even diluted sewage directly into streams that feed into the river.