The Anacostia River watershed in Maryland and Washington DC is inhabited by approximately one million people. This river on the northeast side of DC has endured centuries of industrial and urban pollution. Although governmental and community-driven restoration initiatives are underway, they predominantly focus on conventional monitoring of fecal indicators such as E. coli. Unfortunately, these efforts often neglect the assessment of other critical microbial contaminants and antibiotics.
In response to this gap, the nonprofit Anacostia Riverkeeper (ARK) established the Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) in 2019-2020, implementing a volunteer-based community science initiative. This program strategically places monitoring stations at ten locations in Maryland to assess the river's water quality. Bi-monthly measurements include levels of E. coli and various physicochemical properties such as pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, and nutrient availability. These findings are disseminated to the public to raise awareness about water quality issues.
In a collaborative effort, the Global FEWture Alliance’s Maryland FEWture team, including Amy R. Sapkota, Suhana Chattopadhyay, and Leena Malayil from the School of Public Health, is partnering with Anacostia Riverkeeper. Their joint objective is to pinpoint sources of microbial contamination in the waterway and analyze the antibiotic resistance profiles of these contaminants. This research aims to enlighten the public about potential pathogens present in the recreational waters of the Anacostia River, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental health in the region.
Please check out our news piece in Maryland Today that describes this work in detail!