[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 68 (Friday, May 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   STATEMENT OF CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON ON THE ANACOSTIA 
                         WATERSHED ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2005

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the first comprehensive 
clean-up plan for the Anacostia River. It has been called the 
``forgotten river,'' ``a neighborhood river,'' ``the dirtiest river in 
America'' and an especially appropriate name would be the congressional 
river. The current original cosponsors include Representatives Jim 
Moran, Tom Davis, Chris Van Hollen, Robert Brady, Ed Markey, Albert 
Wynn, and Raul Grijalva and I expect additional regional members who 
signed on when I originally introduced the bill during the last 
Congress to do so again. The Anacostia River flows within 2,000 yards 
of the Capitol Dome. For years the Anacostia River and region have been 
associated with blight and despair. Like many cities across America in 
the past few years that have developed their waterfronts, the District 
of Columbia government has decided to end the underutilization of the 
riverfront by creating the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, dedicated 
to developing the Anacostia waterfront. However before development and 
hope can be brought to this area of the city, the river must be cleaned 
up. If the river is cleaned, it could be a very important economic 
development asset for the entire region. With a cleaned up river, 
visions of restaurants, parks, office buildings and pedestrian walkways 
will become a reality.
  The bill introduced today would amend the Federal Water Pollution 
Control Act to establish a program within the federal Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) known as the ``Anacostia Watershed Restoration 
Initiative.'' This initiative would create an ``Anacostia Watershed 
Council,'' composed of the EPA Administrator, the Secretary of the 
Army, the Secretary of the Interior, the Mayor of the District of 
Columbia, the Governor of Maryland, the Governor of Virginia and the 
County Executives of Montgomery and Prince George's County. The primary 
responsibility of the council would be to develop an action plan for 
the restoration, protection, and enhancement of the environmental 
integrity and social and economic benefits of the Anacostia watershed. 
Several federal agencies, such as the Departments of Interior, 
Agriculture, Transportation, the EPA, and Army Corps of Engineers would 
be involved in the development and implementation of the action plan. 
This bill also calls for $3 million for each of 10 years to be 
authorized for use by the EPA, and $1 million for each of 10 years 
would be authorized for the other agencies. The strong Federal 
involvement in the bill reflects not only the location of the river, 
but also that Federal facilities represent the major source of its 
pollution.

  This vital piece of legislation also would amend the Water Resources 
Development Act (WRDA) to authorize $150 million to repair and upgrade 
the District's inadequate combined sewer overflow system, a critical 
part of cleaning up the river. The District's combined sewer system was 
designed and constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers 160 years ago. 
The sewer system services Federal downtown DC, including the Capitol 
complex. As such, the Federal Government is directly responsible for 
the sewage and pollution that drains into the Anacostia River on a 
daily basis. I had secured a $35 million authorization in last 
Congress's WRDA bill in 2003, but the Senate never acted. This year I 
have requested $150 million, even though this amount is not enough to 
help the District address the combined sewer overflow problem. However, 
this authorization will be a major step toward correcting a serious 
problem.
  This bill also will be the first step in bringing real hope to a 
region often referred to as ``east of the river''. With this bill, this 
once neglected region of our Nation's capital will become a thriving 
gathering place for tourists and residents of this region. 60 Minutes 
recently captured the story of the young people who are cleaning up the 
Anacostia River in a moving segment entitled ``Endangered Species.'' 
These young members of the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) are working 
not only to clean up the river but to ``empower our endangered youth to 
reclaim the Anacostia River, their communities, and their lives.'' With 
the Anacostia River as their classroom, the ECC has been able to 
achieve positive strides, both environmentally and socially. There is 
more we can do to support and expand their efforts and help Anacostia 
to become the jewel of the District of Columbia.

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