Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring Launched on Anacostia River
The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS), in a collaborative effort with Xylem and Anacostia Riverkeeper, initiated real-time water quality monitoring along the main tidal Anacostia River in August 2025.
Xylem generously donated ten real-time monitoring units for this initiative. Five units have been installed in the Potomac River, and the remaining five are now active in the Anacostia River. AWS will be responsible for maintaining two of these monitoring units. Data from these devices is collected every 15 minutes and transmitted to the internet, where it will be made publicly available.
This monitoring program is set to provide crucial information for understanding the river’s health. For example, a parameter, conductivity, measures the water’s ability to conduct an electrical current. While conductivity doesn’t directly indicate pollution, a sudden change can signal an event impacting water quality. Rainwater has very low conductivity. Since stormwater runoff often carries various pollutants into the river, a sharp decrease in conductivity can indicate a significant influx of polluted stormwater. Water temperature data is also critically important for river users, particularly during the transitional seasons of early spring and late fall.
The collected data will support science-based decision-making and improvements, ultimately contributing to the goal of achieving swimmable and fishable rivers. This real-time information will help detect algal blooms, illicit discharges, combined sewer overflows, organic matter pollution, winter salt and road runoff, and rising water temperatures due to climate change.
The Anacostia Watershed Society extends its sincere appreciation to Xylem for their generous equipment donation and looks forward to continued collaboration with the Anacostia Riverkeeper.
A publicly accessible website to view this data is currently under development and will be shared as soon as it becomes available.
The monitoring sites along the Anacostia are shown below:
- Bladensburg Wetland
- Kingman Island
- CSX Railroad Bridge
- Yard’s Marina
- Buzzard Point
The parameters monitored are:
- Water Temperature
- pH
- Conductivity
- Blue-green Algae
- Chlorophyll
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Oxidation-Reduction Potential
- Turbidity
- Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter
