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On March 2, 2026, the Washington, D.C., Department of Health lifted the recreational advisory for the Potomac River.  The announcement said, “Consistent water quality testing shows bacterial levels are now within safe ranges for recreation.” For more information, visit doee.dc.gov. For DC Health’s health advisories, visit doh.dc.gov. For information on DC Water’s progress on the Potomac Interceptor repair, visit dcwater.com.

February 26, 2026

On January 19, 2026, a sewer line in Maryland, the Potomac interceptor, ruptured and sent up to 300,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. FODM joined 20 other organizations on February 9 on a letter to DC Water asking for answers and accountability.

On February 9, 2026, 19 Venerable Buddhist monks walked through the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve north on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

January’s snow, sleet, ice and many sub-freezing days left Dyke Marsh with packed snow and ice and a white glaze, sparkly in the sunshine.

Fifty-two enthusiastic volunteers came out on January 19, 2026, for the Martin Luther King Day of Service Trash Cleanup in Dyke Marsh and along the Potomac River shoreline.

On October 22, 2025, Alison Zak urged her Zoom audience of 77 to “reframe their thinking that beavers are pests.” She explained that beavers (Castor canadensis) improve water quality, restore freshwater systems, protect wetlands, enhance groundwater recharge and increase biodiversity.

On August 29, 2025, NPS staffers installed a new wayside on the boardwalk explaining the stone breakwater and sills in the south marsh visible from the boardwalk.