ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY

Protecting and Restoring the Anacostia River

AWS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the Anacostia River by bringing partners and communities together to achieve a clean and safe Anacostia River for the benefit of all living in its watershed and for future generations.

The vision is to make the Anacostia River and its tributaries swimmable and fishable, in keeping with the Clean Water Act, for the health and enjoyment of everyone in the community. Community involvement is critical to achieving this vision and AWS seeks win-win solutions through strong partnerships and coalitions, with all parts of the community, government, and other stakeholders. Core to our work is reaching out to, educating and engaging the next generation of decision-makers, our youth.

The Anacostia Watershed Society was founded in 1989 by a small group of concerned individuals who decided that the environmental needs of the Anacostia River and its watershed communities required serious attention. Over the past 20 years, our staff and programming efforts have expanded significantly to encompass efforts in environmental education, stewardship, and recreation, as well as engaging the community through public affairs. We are making a difference and we hope you'll help!