Alexandria To Stop Leaks Of Coal Tar Into Potomac River

ALEXANDRIA, Md. – The city of Alexandria, VA, has agreed to halt leaks of coal tar residue that have for decades been seeping into the Potomac River near a popular downtown park.

The city settled in early November a lawsuit brought last year by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network that alleged Alexandria wasn’t acting quickly or thoroughly enough to curtail leaks that had been ongoing since at least 1975. The suit states that the waste was migrating from the former site of the Alexandria Town Gas Company, which the city operated until 1946, to the outfall of a stormwater and sewage pipe, which was then discharging to the Potomac.

The network filed a lawsuit in May 2022 after Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks began investigating the leaks. He found evidence of contaminants associated with coal tar residue in the river’s surface water and the sediment. Many of the pollutants associated with coal tar and creosote wastes are classified as “probable” causes of cancer. They also pose dangers to aquatic organisms and other wildlife.

“The location is particularly troubling because the storm sewer outfall lies adjacent to Founders Park, a recreational area used by many Alexandria residents, and the river is frequently used for kayaking, paddling and recreational fishing by the general public,” Naujoks wrote in a statement.

As part of the settlement, a consent decree stipulates that the city will remediate contaminated sediment in the Potomac near the outfall, including under an existing pier. Alexandria is also required to put $300,000 toward a mussel restoration project on the shoreline that will be managed by the riverkeeper, along with monitoring. The riverkeeper network already has a program aimed at restoring 50 million native freshwater mussels to the Potomac by 2030. Naujoks said this environmental project will help.

“It was eight years in the making, but I’m very pleased with the outcome,” Naujoks said. “We believe the expanded remediation program called for by the settlement agreement will finally control this persistent contamination.”