Anacostia Watershed Society
Stream Corridor Assessment
Confluence to 38th Ave

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Anacostia Watershed Society

The following information was provided by Masaya Maeda of the Anacostia Watershed Society.

AWS has decided to conduct a SCA (Stream Corridor Assessment) survey on the Northwest Branch and has already conducted it on a small portion of the stream. We would like to identify environmental problems such as eroding stream banks, inadequate stream buffers, exposed pipes, altered stream channels, fish migration barriers, pipe outfalls, in-stream construction sites and trash dumping locations along the branch. The major findings will be reported appropriately. The data will be also used to raise people's awareness of stream problems and eventually it will be incorporated into WRAS project by State Government.

Chart showing sample sites of major problems near the confluence of NW Branch with NE Branch
Inadequate forest buffer and channel alteration areas are colored pink. This is a significant problem.

The normal forest buffer has been removed and replaced by turf.

A small tributary branches from the main stream.
The whole tributary is channelized with concrete. The tributary is a fish barrier, since almost no fish can swim in the too shallow water.

Pictures 202105-1 to 202105-3 show a case of potential nutrient input into the tributary.
Picture 202105-1 is the cover shot of the site. Picture 202105-2 is zoom-in photo.
The two metal pipes at the far left in the picture 202105-2 have algae around them even during this cold season.
Picture 202105-3 shows algae growing downstream from the pipes.