Anacostia EPA EMPACT Project

EMPACT stands for Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking. The nationwide EMPACT Program was launched by EPA administrator Carol Browner in 1996 to provide the public with up-to-date and easily understandable environmental information and thus to facilitate informed environmentally decision-making. EMPACT projects are generally centered around metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. and its territories. For more information on the nationwide EMPACT program, or for links to other local EMPACT projects, visit the EPA's EMPACT Home Page.

What EMPACT projects are underway in the Chesapeake Bay region?

Watershed and Television Weather Reporting: A Prototype for the Chesapeake Bay Region
Using Advanced On-Air and On-Line Technology including EMPACT data for Watershed Education, Protection and Community Involvement. This project will utilize local weather reports on WRC-TV 4 to increase the public's awareness, education and understanding of watersheds, specifically, the role they play in the health of ecosystems and the quality of drinking water through maps and computer graphics and collecting water quality monitoring data from six EMPACT sites, two additional "real-time" monitoring sites from the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG), and data from local watershed/water quality monitoring groups. The data collected will be part of a Watershed Watchers Network displayed on WRC-TV4's WeatherNET4 website seen monthly by 2-3 million users and as part of the on-air weather forecast.

Improving Public Access to Water Quality and Watershed Information in the Chesapeake Bay
The EPA Region 3 Chesapeake Bay Program has established partnerships with two EMPACT Project Hosts (the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR)), to integrate and interpret real-time water quality information to raise public awareness and stimulate action. Through this partnership, this project will establish a network among many data sources and consolidate information on one host website. using GIS technology to interpret a wide variety of water quality and watershed information.

The primary objective of the Anacostia EMPACT Project is to provide information regarding water quality and biological conditions in the Anacostia River and its tributaries. This project is meant to supplement data collected as part of the larger Anacostia watershed monitoring and restoration effort coordinated by the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee and its member agencies and organizations. This EMPACT project will help watershed residents learn more about their local waterways, while also providing up to date information on water quality and events that affect it.

What types of data have been generated?

Water quality data parameters reported on in this project include Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and Dissolved Oxygen (DO). The data reflect both grab sampling and modeling results. It is important to note, however, that water quality monitoring in the Anacostia tributaries has been discontinued and that the water quality data reported here are not current. It is anticipated that the these water quality results will be updated as additional data become available. Limited water quality monitoring in the tidal Anacostia and Potomac river's is ongoing.

This project also reports on the health of fish and macroinvertebrate communities in the Montgomery and Prince George's County, Maryland and District of Columbia portions of the watershed. Although monitoring efforts by the three jurisdictions.are increasingly coordinated, both the number of monitoring sites and sampling frequency are limited.

How are the data generated?

Automated water quality meters take readings on regular intervals at locations in the Ancostia and Potomac Rivers. Stored data are either transferred electronically into a portable computer or transmitted over telephone lines. Additionally, water samples are collected at several locations on a regular basis, brought back to the lab, and analyzed with established methods.

Who should I contact if I have additional questions?

Click here for a list of EMPACT partners and contacts.