This week on “The Climate Divide,” we discuss Kingman Park’s history of contamination and the local activism that led to constructing D.C.’s Northeast Boundary Tunnel
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On this week’s episode of “The Climate Divide,” host Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe speaks with Kingman Park activist Frazer Walton Jr. and vice president of DC Water Clean Rivers Project Moussa Wone.
For decades, residents in Kingman Park and other neighborhoods near the Anacostia River have spoken up about the contamination of the river and the industrial facilities near their homes. Local activism led to a 2005 consent decree that required DC Water to produce a plan to manage the overflows into the Anacostia River, in addition to the Potomac River and Rock Creek. This plan is what is known today as the Clean Rivers Project.
In October, D.C.’s Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced a $57 million settlement, this time against the Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) that the city had sued for discharging hazardous chemicals into the Anacostia River for decades. Of those funds, $47 million will go towards the river cleanup, with an additional $10 million in penalties for knowingly polluting the river for decades.
Despite these victories for the rivers and residents who live near them, Walton says there are flooding and stormwater runoff problems that need to be managed.
“I’ve never seen it worse,” Walton says. “In an environmental area, we’re gonna be in big trouble if we don’t address it.”
The main purpose of the Clean Rivers Project is improving the health of the District’s waterways, but the initiative also tackles chronic flooding, in large part through the recently completed Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT), which was completed in September.
In this week’s episode, Wone expands on the expected impact of the Northeast Boundary Tunnel. Wone, who has a Ph.D. in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering, also discusses what’s next for DC Water, while Walton lays out the history that led to these massive infrastructure projects and goes into what’s at stake for the D.C. neighborhood he’s called home for three-quarters of a century.
About “The Climate Divide”
In the second season of “The Climate Divide,” we will explore what communities have been overburdened by hazards like pollution and flooding and how this disparity came to be. During a time when both the national and D.C. governments are emphasizing environmental issues, this podcast will focus on the people most affected by these policies, who’ve voiced their concerns and advocated for greater environmental justice.
“The Climate Divide” is hosted, produced and edited by Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe. Claudia Peralta Torres provides additional editing and sound mixing support. Christine MacDonald is the series editor and executive director of Hola Cultura. Members of the Society and Culture team, part of Hola Cultura’s Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning, also contribute to this podcast. “The Climate Divide” is supported by Spotlight DC and the Pulitzer Center.
– Story by Natalia Chairez
– Edited by Jordan Luz
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