Photo credit: Lydia Lawrence
Flowing more than 380 miles from the mountains of West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River is one of the most iconic and consequential rivers in the United States. Its watershed spans roughly 14,700 square miles across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC—connecting forests, farms, and major metropolitan areas.
Serving more than 6 million people within the basin, the Potomac is vital for community recreation, booming river, and fishery businesses, and as the primary source of drinking water. As the second-largest source of freshwater to the Chesapeake Bay, its health is inseparable from the health of the Bay itself.
In January 2026, the collapse of a major sewer line along the Potomac River resulted in the release of hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage, with contamination persisting for weeks and likely recurring during the extended repair period. This event underscores the threat of aging infrastructure to our rivers; not just in the nation’s capital, but across the country. Coupled with a lack of transparency, decades of progress can be erased in a matter of days.
Photo credit: Lydia Lawrence
In addition, the Potomac River watershed faces an unprecedented surge in data center development, particularly in Northern Virginia and portions of Maryland. Because of their intense use of water, these facilities pose a serious and growing threat to both water quality and water quantity, yet are being approved with limited transparency, truncated regulatory review, and insufficient assessment of cumulative impacts.
In a new report, American Rivers has designated the Potomac the #1 Most Endangered River in the United States. Together with our partners at Potomac Riverkeeper Network, Nature Forward is asking its members to stand up for the Potomac and urge their state and federal elected officials to take action to protect the Potomac from threats to its wellbeing.
What you can do
Use our letter writing template to write to your elected officials. If you are a Virginia or Maryland constituent, write to Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia or Governor Wes Moore of Maryland and ask them to guarantee transparency and oversight as well as institute safeguards around the use of river and water resources to ensure any new data center development is clean and sustainable. Then regardless of where you live, write to your Senators and Representative asking them to reauthorize both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund bill and the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program. Use the form below to take action today for the Potomac and for future generations!
Photo Credit: Lydia Lawrence