Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee
(AWRC)

Efforts to restore the Anacostia watershed began nearly two decades ago. Since that time, local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as environmental organizations and dedicated private citizens have contributed significant resources toward re-establishing as much of the original ecosystem as possible. Formal cooperation between government agencies came with the 1987, signing of the Anacostia Watershed Agreement and the formation of the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee (AWRC).

Primary administrative policy and technical support for the Committee is provided by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). In addition, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) assists in the areas of living resources and citizen education and outreach. The Army Corps of Engineers (Baltimore District) acts as the federal liaison to the AWRC. However, the Committee recently signed an MOU with the U.S. EPA that recognizes the unique role that the agency plays in the restoration effort and identifies areas of continuing cooperation. Additional federal involvement has come from the National Park Service and the Department of Agriculture, as two of the largest land owners in the watershed.

The AWRC has continued to coordinate and implement restoration projects throughout the watershed since its founding. The Committee also recognized early the need to establish a framework to guide a more lasting restoration effort. The vision was for an ecologically-based restoration of the watershed which, by 1991, took shape in the form of the Six-Point Action Plan . The Plan has become the guidance document for the restoration effort, and environmental indicators are being used to track restoration progress.

More recently, the AWRC has taken steps to strengthen its ties to the residents of the watershed by forming the Anacostia Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee . The primary objective of the Committee is to expand awareness of and enhance communication between the AWRC and the watershed community.