“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Potomac Electric Power Company will pay over $57 million to resolve allegations that it discharged toxic chemicals into the District’s land and waterways for decades, resulting in the persistent toxic pollution of the Anacostia River.
“For far too long, District residents have been deprived of fully enjoying one of our greatest environmental resources – the Anacostia River – due to chronic, illegal, and intentional pollution. For decades, Pepco routinely discharged hazardous chemicals into soil, groundwater, and storm sewers, which fouled the Anacostia River, deprived us of the river’s many benefits, and endangered public health and safety.
“I want to thank everyone who made this step possible – from the Attorney General for making sure this cleanup is a priority, to the community activists like George Gurley who worked to shut down the power plant, to River Terrace residents organizing now with the Washington Interfaith Network ensuring our neighborhood remains healthy,” said Reverend Andre Greene, Pastor of Varick Memorial Church.
From 1906 until 2012, Pepco owned and operated a power generating station at 3400 Benning Road NE. Since 2011, under District oversight, Pepco has been performing an environmental investigation into hazardous substance releases from the facility.
To distribute electricity across the District, Pepco operates a system of approximately 60,000 below-ground vaults and manholes that are frequently filled with storm water runoff. The runoff contains polluted water from various sources, including Pepco’s own equipment. For decades, until 2008, Pepco regularly pumped this polluted water, including water contaminated with PCBs, petroleum, and sediment, from its vaults into nearby storm sewers that empty into the District’s rivers and streams.