Why is a huge pile of trash floating down the Potomac?

POTOMAC, Md. — A large collection of debris and largely plastic trash is stuck floating on the Potomac River.

It's an unfortunate consequence of runoff that happens during heavy storms like the ones brought by Tropical Depression Debby. After weeks of hot, dry conditions in the DMV area this summer, the soil has hardened — leading water to roll over it instead of being absorbed. That rolling water has pushed the current mound of debris into the water.

Trey Sherard, the Anacostia Riverkeeper, tells WUSA9 that D.C. has a small fleet of boats that usually remove trash and debris from the rivers five times a week, but ongoing wet weather has kept those boats out of the water today. Sherard says 60 percent of the trash they collect during their usual sweeps from the river consists of plastic bottles.

Sherard also says climate change, and a pattern change in summer storms, could lead to more runoff like this landing in DMV rivers frequently in the future. 

“We’re going to get the same amount of rain per year, but we’re going to get it in fewer but much larger storms — and that’s a problem. Because that’s not the kind of pattern we were building stuff to deal with these problems against.” 

Floating debris like this moves with the tides, according to Sherard. It will eventually make landfall somewhere if it’s not cleaned up.