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.
These sites are in Hyattsville, near the confluence of NW Branch with NE Branch.
The water in the branch flows from left to right.
Site # 204101B represents sites 204101 and 204102. Site # 203110B represents sites 203110 and 203111.
This small stream seemed to have bad water quality, so I investigated it. The source of the steam was a storm water pipe.
Along the stream, bacteria (see 202115-2,-3) emerge to feed on organic matters in the water.
The yellow matter is not iron flock; iron flock is more solid.
While walking along a small tributary, I observed brown colored water. There was no smell, but it seemed to impose an impact on the NW Branch.
The matter looked organic, not inorganic.
Picture 203111-1 is the cover shot for the brown water. Picture 203111-2 is a zoom-in photo.
About 1 hour later, I visited the downstream portion of the small tributary. The whole stretch of the river became brown as far as I could see (Picture 203111-3).
Picture 203112 shows the headwater area of the tributary. The tributary is buried and I could not identify the source.
I think that the brown matter is not soil-related material. These discharges degrade the Anacostia.
This site (picture 204102) seems to be no problem but if you see closely, you will see a potential problem.
Pictures 204102-2 to 204102-4 are zoom-in pictures for each trash trapped by metal bars.
If you see closely, you can recognize that those are medical waste. Are these from a hospital, beauty salon, or nail salon?
