Northwest Georgetown July ANC Update

Here’s your July Northwest Georgetown ANC update!

Summer is here! After a spring of marvelously dry air, the wallop of soupy humid air has descended on us like an unwanted down comforter. What better way to get some relief than a dip in cool waters?

We’re spoiled for swimming options in Georgetown. Of course we’ve got Volta Park and Jelleff pools right in the neighborhood. Plus we’ve got Francis pool just across Rock Creek. And a surprising number of homes in the neighborhood have their own pools. But what if you want to swim in nature?

For many years, swimming in the Potomac river was as unsafe as it was illegal. But with tireless effort, the river is getting cleaner. And at our ANC last week, DC Water discussed some improvements that will make the river even cleaner. First, the sewer separation efforts along the Georgetown waterfront are complete. What this means is that during heavy rainfalls, raw sewage is no longer being dumped directly into the river. (While there are two more overflow spots above the Key Bridge, they don’t typically overflow.)

Additionally, a long (long) planned tunnel will be dug underneath the waterfront park down past the Kennedy Center all the way to the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant. This will act like a giant underground reservoir to hold heavy rains and debris and almost entirely eliminate stormwater run-off into the Potomac. Construction is set to finally begin next year, and it will take until at least 2030 when it will become operational.

While that tunnel is still a long way off, the separation effort should make a big difference in the meantime. And there is progress being made towards making swimming DC rivers legal as well. This month an event will be held in the Anacostia river to allow legal swimming for the first time in decades. This was made possible in part by another stormwater retention tunnel that was completed in 2016. Lets all hope a similar event can be held in Georgetown soon!

Miller Steps Down

My fellow commissioner, Elizabeth Miller, has stepped down from the ANC. As she explained in her announcement, her family had to move out of her district, which necessitated the resignation from the commission. As I wrote in my note, I’m gutted to lose Elizabeth from the commission. She’s been a force on the ANC and I’ve enjoyed working alongside her greatly. Luckily for for Georgetown, while she’s stepping down, she’ll remain an active member of the neighborhood.

Plane Noise

Ever since an air traffic pattern change in 2014, the noise from aircraft taking off and landing at Washington National has increased significantly in Georgetown. And things could get even worse. Legislation in Congress would increase both the number of flights in and out of DCA and the length of flights allowed. The ANC adopted a resolution objecting to this bill and putting our support behind local politicians to do what they can to prevent this change from coming to fruition. Our voice is tiny when it comes to Congress, but every little bit helps.

Georgetown Lutheran Renovations

Georgetown Lutheran–one of the oldest congregations in Georgetown and the only one in our district–will be undergoing renovations soon. The project will help restore the historic bell tower and make the whole site more accessible with a new walkway. Additionally, in keeping with the first item discussed above, the church is partnering with local organizations to reduce the stormwater run-off from the site. Please visit their website for more information!

And with that, have a great summer! There is no ANC meeting for August, so the next update will be in September. But I’m still around, so if you have any issues please reach out to me at 2e02@anc.dc.gov!