A new coalition of local environmental and business groups has formed to educate the public on the immediate need for the cleanup of toxic chemicals in the Anacostia River.

Doug Siglin, chair of United for a Healthy Anacostia River, explained to DCist that there are four major sources of pollution to the Anacostia River. There’s an old sewer system in D.C. that overflows when it rains, but D.C. Water’s recent proposal to replace tunnels with green infrastructure will likely repair that “fairly quickly.”

Then there’s urban runoff, but “lots of things are being done” to address that, although it may be 15 to 20 years before that’s eliminated. The third source is a leakage of ground water into the Anacostia that can carry contaminates. And the fourth, which is what the coalition is primarily focused on, are the “toxic chemicals that are at six sites around the River … that have proven potential health effects on the ecology of fish and wildlife, and potentially on people.”

“That is a source that has not gotten a great deal of attention up to now,” Siglin said. “This coalition has come together to really draw public attention to that source of pollution and the need to get it cleaned up.”

United for a Healthy Anacostia River has two major goals. The first is to have all the toxic chemicals in the tidal Anacostia River cleaned up. The second is to have planning completed and cleanup underway by January 2017. Members of the coalition’s steering committee include the Anacostia Watershed Citizens Advisory Commission, Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society, DC Appleseed, DC Environmental Network, Federal City Council and Groundwork Anacostia River DC.

The District Department of the Environment recently announced a plan to conduct a study to “identify the existing sources of sediment contamination in the Anacostia River, evaluate the nature and extent of contamination in the sediments in the tidal portion of the Anacostia River and assess human health, environment and ecological risks.”

Siglin — a veteran clean water advocate who serves as the executive director of the Federal City Council’s Anacostia River Initiative — says if the study proceeds in a timely way, it will lead to a “much greater understanding of what has to be done and action to do it.”

“But the experience around the country with these super fund-driven processes like this is that in the absence of public attention or political commitment, it can take years, sometimes decades to come to conclusions,” he added. “The framework is there. The bones of getting this done have been put into place, and we’re grateful for that. But the thing that’s needed now is for the public to understand what’s going on and for the political system to be committed through to conclusion.”

United for a Healthy Anacostia River is asking the public to sign a Change.org petition, which will eventually be delivered to Mayor Vince Gray and the Council, to show support for the project. The coalition will also attend neighborhood meetings to educate the public about the issue. They’re also developing ways for the public to talk to mayoral candidates about Anacostia River concerns, including a possible forum next month.