Potomac and Anacostia Rivers
Item
Title
Potomac and Anacostia Rivers
Description
The southern boundary of Washington, DC, is bordered by two rivers: the Potomac and the Anacostia. The rivers have long had problems with pollution from human and industrial waste. In the 1860s, President Lincoln used to complain of the smell of the rivers, retreating to Soldier's Home to escape. In the 1970s, President Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to reverse decades of pollution, making the rivers a focus of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Today the rivers are improving, but still suffer from pollution.
Source
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. View original.
Coverage
Pre-1800s
2000-present
topic
environment