2025 Potomac River Report Card

The Potomac River’s holding steady at a “B” – showing no overall improvement in a decade.

The “Nation’s River” is cleaner than it used to be, but remains too polluted for safe swimming and fish consumption.

After decades of hard-fought recovery, the Potomac River’s health remains at a solid “B” grade in 2025 — the fifth B-level mark in ten years. That’s remarkable progress from a dismal “D” in 2011. Bald eagles soar, more wildlife habitat is protected, and people are flocking outside to picnic, paddle, hike, and connect to their hometown river.

But the river’s comeback has hit an undeniable plateau. In the last decade, the Potomac’s overall health has stopped improving. The hard truth: the river that supplies drinking water to five million people still isn’t reliably safe for swimming or eating its fish.

b

Water Geek?

Check out the data and full report here:

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Water Geek?

Check out the data and full report here:

View the Full Report

The Potomac River's progress over the years:

D+

2007

D

2011

c

2013

B-

2016

B

2018

B-

2020

B

2023

why it matters

Our community’s health depends on a thriving and clean Potomac River. We all rely on the river for the water we drink, the food grown on its lands, the peace of its forests and shorelines, and the joy of exploring its wild places.

And yet, the river that flows through our nation’s capital is still too polluted for safe swimming and fishing. We can do better.

"One of my fondest memories is buying fish from the Wharf on the shore of the Potomac but due to the pollution and uncertainty of the quality I believe this current generation and future may never experience it."

Gerald Martin

Local Pastor

What’s Going Well

Pollution is down.

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment — the top river pollutants — are steadily declining thanks to decades of cleanup work.

Nature is rebounding.

Over 20% of the Potomac’s forest and farmland is now conserved, with more than 245,000 acres newly protected in just two years.

People are outside.

Outdoor recreation is booming. Public access has expanded, with nearly a 10% increase in river recreation since 2020.

What’s Not

Polluted runoff is rising fast.

Rapid deforestation and extreme weather — from droughts to downpours — are driving urban runoff, the only source of water pollution still on the rise.

Native fish are struggling.

Smallmouth bass populations are failing to recover and striped bass and white perch are declining as a result of degraded underwater habitat.

Progress is spotty.

Virginia is making significant progress with expanding streamside forest buffers (300 new miles), but other states are falling short of their planting goals.

Uneven impacts.

In each report section, we uplift the voices of local communities who have been affected the most by pollution and extreme climate impacts.

What’s blocking the path to an “A”?

Urban polluted runoff is the only growing source of pollution to the Potomac River. Polluted runoff occurs when excess rainwater flows across paved and hardened surfaces and carries street oils, lawn fertilizers, trash, and even diluted sewage directly into local streams.

What are the biggest challenges?

Our natural defenses are under attack.

Rapid deforestation

Extreme climate

Weaker federal protections

Rapid forest loss in our region is stripping away the natural defenses our streams need against polluted runoff and extreme climate conditions. And making matters worse, national environmental protections are threatened: Federal clean water safeguards are being weakened, critical conservation funding is stalling, and climate and equity initiatives are being eliminated.

Rapid deforestation along the Potomac River

what can be done?

Protecting the Potomac starts local.

Potmac Conservancy volunteers cleaning up the river shoreline

The greatest power to protect the Potomac lies right here at home and that’s where Potomac Conservancy leads.

We fight pollution and climate impacts by restoring our region’s natural defenses — trees and forests. Healthy streamside forests absorb and filter polluted runoff before it reaches our streams, capture carbon from the air, and keep our waters cool for fish and wildlife.

By protecting and expanding these natural buffers, we can stop pollution at its source and build a stronger, more resilient future for our communities and the river we depend on.

Help get the Potomac to an 'A'

Potomac Conservancy’s Clean Water, Healthy Communities Campaign is raising $8 million to accelerate local clean water solutions. Join over 35,000 of your neighbors who are helping us dramatically increase the pace and scale of forest conservation to improve local water quality.

Protect

healthy forests

Restore

streams and habitat

Defend

water protection laws

Activate

community conservation

Join Our Clean Water Campaign

Fighting for clean water and healthy communities

Fighting for clean water
and healthy communities

Potomac Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust and clean water leader in the Potomac River region. We’re committed to restoring the Potomac to full health for the five million people who rely on the river for drinking water and outdoor enjoyment. We improve local water quality through land conservation initiatives that effectively stop pollution from entering our streams and tributaries. Our impassioned base of 35,000 supporters empowers us to protect and expand streamside forests, pass water protection laws, and restore local shorelines.

Join our growing movement for clean water at potomac.org

Join our growing movement
for clean water at potomac.org

For press inquiries:
Contact Alyssa Murray at murray@potomac.org

For general questions:
Contact our team at info@potomac.org

Special Thanks to...

Dick and Nancy Raines, Crimsonbridge Foundation, institutional funders, and our members for their generous charitable support that made this report possible.

The Center for Conservation Biology, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Progress, DC Department of Energy and Environment, Devereux Consulting, Inc., US Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Park Service, Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics consortium, National Park Service - National Capital Region, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Chesapeake Bay, Outdoor Industry Association, Potomac Environmental Research & Education Center, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies, US Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service, US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and West Virginia Parks.

Credits

Katie Blackman: Project Manager

Melissa Diemand: Publication Editor

Robert O’Donnell: Research and Writing

Frederick Johnson III: Environmental Equity Strategist, _+

Damon Turner: Cultural Architect, _+

Haley Epping: Contributor and Marketing

Corey Tiani / Pointpixl: Web Design

About the Contributors

About the Report

Potomac Conservancy’s Potomac River Report Card presents and assesses data on five significant river health indicators: pollution, fish, habitat, land, and people. In the 2025 edition, we included a new Climate section to assess the local impacts from extreme weather trends; this section is ungraded. Data sets for some indicators take time to become publicly available, so we have aggregated and assessed data through 2024. Using an established baseline and set of benchmarks, the Conservancy measures restoration progress and assigns the Potomac River a grade. The overall grade has been weighted to account for non-quantifiable, inaccessible, or outdated data on water quality threats. These threats include but are not limited to harmful algal blooms, climate change, endocrine-disrupting compounds, PCBs, aquatic diseases, and others.