Rock Creek - P Street Beach


P Street Branch is the southern most Rock Creek site that is being tested, situated between 23rd Street NW and Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW.

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.

Water Quality
  • Meets water quality standards

  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on May 24th, 2023. Potomac Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on May 25th, 2023 at 12:59 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Monitoring Frequency

Rock Creek - P Street Beach 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 - P Street Beach


Water Quality
  • Meets water quality standards
  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on May 24th, 2023. Potomac Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on May 25th, 2023 at 12:59 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  

P Street Branch is the southern most Rock Creek site that is being tested, situated between 23rd Street NW and Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW.

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 - P Street Beach 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
Washington, District of Columbia
Washington, District of Columbia
Washington, District of Columbia
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