The District of Columbia has taken legal action against the federal government, filing a lawsuit over pollution in the Anacostia River. The lawsuit claims that the federal government, which has owned and controlled the riverbed since the 1800s, has caused significant harm to the predominantly poor and minority communities living along the urban waterway.
Over the years, the federal government has been accused of dumping toxic waste, heavy metals, and chemicals, including carcinogenic PCBs, into the river and failing to address the contamination. The Anacostia River, which flows through Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland, has suffered from industrial waste, storm sewer runoff, and trash disposal, disproportionately affecting communities of color.
