Rock Creek - Rock Creek at Juniper St


Rock Creek at Juniper St. is one of the northern most watershed sites in Washington DC., located in the Colonial Village neighborhood of NW Washington.

Working together to understand the health of District of Columbia Waters, The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) awarded a grant to Anacostia Riverkeeper to implement a volunteer-based citizen science water quality monitoring program with the goal of providing up-to-date, weekly water quality data to residents and visitors.

For more information, visit doee.dc.gov/service/citizen-science-initiatives.

**WARNING: SWIMMING IS PROHIBITED IN D.C. RIVERS AND STREAMS, REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT STATUS**

A “green” rating is demonstrative of the E. coli levels at one point in time.

Rock Creek is designated as a Class A waterway, which means primary contact, however the DC Department of Health (DOH) bans swimming in Rock Creek due to sewage overflows. The risk of high bacteria levels after a heavy rain storm is the only reason it is considered “unsafe” to swim in the waterways. The activation of the Clean Rivers Project in DC is expected to reduce system wide combined sewage overflow by 96%, getting us significantly closer to swimmable rivers in DC 365 days a year.

When there is a red "special status" update, there has been a combined sewage overflow (CSO) in the past 48 hours. This means it is extremely likely there are unsafe levels of bacteria in the river, and it is recommended to be extra cautious if you are close to the river or come in contact with the water.

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality
  • Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time

  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 14th, 2022. Potomac Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 15th, 2022 at 9:49 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Monitoring Frequency

Rock Creek - Rock Creek at Juniper St is sampled weekly from April 1st to November 30th.

Source Information

Funded by the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) (Grant# RFA 2018-1805-WQD-VWQM), Anacostia Riverkeepers run a citizen science water quality monitoring program in partnership with Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Audubon Naturalist Society, and Rock Creek Conservancy. Testing occurs weekly at 8 sites (from May through September) along the Rock Creek for bacteria, water temperature, air temperature, pH, and turbidity. The goal of this volunteer monitoring program is to provide valuable and accessible water quality data for residents and visitors, so they can make informed decisions before recreating.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

Rock Creek - Rock Creek at Juniper St


COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality
  • Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 14th, 2022. Potomac Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 15th, 2022 at 9:49 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  

Rock Creek at Juniper St. is one of the northern most watershed sites in Washington DC., located in the Colonial Village neighborhood of NW Washington.

Working together to understand the health of District of Columbia Waters, The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) awarded a grant to Anacostia Riverkeeper to implement a volunteer-based citizen science water quality monitoring program with the goal of providing up-to-date, weekly water quality data to residents and visitors.

For more information, visit doee.dc.gov/service/citizen-science-initiatives.

**WARNING: SWIMMING IS PROHIBITED IN D.C. RIVERS AND STREAMS, REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT STATUS**

A “green” rating is demonstrative of the E. coli levels at one point in time.

Rock Creek is designated as a Class A waterway, which means primary contact, however the DC Department of Health (DOH) bans swimming in Rock Creek due to sewage overflows. The risk of high bacteria levels after a heavy rain storm is the only reason it is considered “unsafe” to swim in the waterways. The activation of the Clean Rivers Project in DC is expected to reduce system wide combined sewage overflow by 96%, getting us significantly closer to swimmable rivers in DC 365 days a year.

When there is a red "special status" update, there has been a combined sewage overflow (CSO) in the past 48 hours. This means it is extremely likely there are unsafe levels of bacteria in the river, and it is recommended to be extra cautious if you are close to the river or come in contact with the water.

Monitoring Frequency

Rock Creek - Rock Creek at Juniper St is sampled weekly from April 1st to November 30th.

Source Information

Funded by the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) (Grant# RFA 2018-1805-WQD-VWQM), Anacostia Riverkeepers run a citizen science water quality monitoring program in partnership with Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Audubon Naturalist Society, and Rock Creek Conservancy. Testing occurs weekly at 8 sites (from May through September) along the Rock Creek for bacteria, water temperature, air temperature, pH, and turbidity. The goal of this volunteer monitoring program is to provide valuable and accessible water quality data for residents and visitors, so they can make informed decisions before recreating.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

  Beach Location Water Quality
Washington, District of Columbia
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
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