One of the fiercest advocates for action and advocacy after last month’s mass sewage spill has a long background in fighting for the Potomac River.
Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks was one of the first at the scene of the burst Potomac Interceptor pipe in Montgomery County on Jan. 19.
He collected samples from water that stank of raw sewage — risking infection from parasites and pathogens in the combined 243 million gallons that ultimately spewed into the Potomac — to measure E. coli levels about 12,000 times higher than the recommended limit for human contact.
In the weeks that passed before agencies in D.C., Virginia and Maryland issued health advisories warning people against contact with the Potomac, Naujoks fielded questions from D.C. firefighters practicing drills in the river and boat rescue personnel in Montgomery County — all in between media appearances where he continued to sound the alarm.
“I just thought this was insane,” Naujoks said. “If it had been in the summer, it would have been totally different. They would have literally closed the river, told everybody to stay out of it.”
But that’s only a small part of Naujoks’ role at the Potomac Riverkeeper Network.
In a new podcast episode with ARLnow, the riverkeeper discussed years of work seeking to improve water quality in the Potomac River, along with his most recent advocacy efforts. From suing the City of Alexandria over coal tar pollution to pushing Arlington County on so-called “forever chemicals” in wastewater, Naujoks and his organization are among the most outspoken supporters of what he calls “the lifeblood of our region.”
It can be a challenging fight, particularly when it comes to issues like infrastructure, which officials rarely campaign on. But Naujoks says that’s part of what makes it worthwhile.
“Slowly but surely, if there isn’t a group like mine that’s suing and passing legislation and forcing accountability and making sure that those investments are going into sewage infrastructure, I can tell you, politicians are going to divert those [funds] to other things,” he said.
Naujoks’ efforts to improve the river — which President Lyndon B. Johnson once described as a “a national disgrace” — have included the launch of the Swimmable Potomac River Campaign and the 50 Million Mussel Project, which aims to restore huge numbers of native freshwater shellfish that naturally filter pollutants.
It’s all to support the many ways people use the Potomac River, including fishing millions of pounds of invasive blue catfish every year, whitewater paddling near Great Falls, weekly swims at National Harbor and waterfront revitalization efforts in Alexandria and D.C.
“It’s amazing how many people use this river for so many reasons,” Naujoks said.
The riverkeeper worries about the impacts of the recent sewage spill, even once the pipeline has been repaired.
He said he’s already heard from people who are pulling their kids out of rowing crew or going to sailing school, out of concerns about water quality. That’s in addition to ecological concerns about fish kills and algae blooms that he says may come this summer, or even years down the road, depending on conditions.
Still, Naujoks is committed to monitoring and testing the river to make sure it’s safe, and to ultimately get people comfortable using it again.
“One way or another, we’re going to make this happen, like we do all the other things, because people do care about this river,” he said.
ARLnow’s interview with Dean Naujoks is available in its entirety as a podcast episode on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Audacy, TuneIn or your favorite listening app.
