The Washington Channel provides recreational access to the Potomac River. The east bank of the channel is home to Washington Marina, Gangplank Marina, and the District Wharf, which offers shopping and dining.

**WARNING: SWIMMING IS PROHIBITED IN D.C. WATERS REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT STATUS**

Despite its designation as a Class A Primary Contact waterway, the DC Department of Health (DOH) bans swimming in the Potomac River citing the risk of high bacteria levels after rainstorms as the only reason it is considered “unsafe” to swim. The activation of the Clean Rivers Project in DC is expected to reduce system wide combined sewage overflow by 96%, bringing the Potomac significantly closer to a swimmable river.

Water quality standards as well as the methods used to determine pass or fail status vary widely across jurisdictions and monitoring programs. We encourage users to explore the sample data in addition to checking the swim guide status. These data can be viewed through the Chesapeake Monitoring Collaborative Data Explorer, https://cmc.vims.edu/#/home

The description above was copied from or heavily based on Swim Guide, with permission.

More Information

• Swim Guide - Weather and water quality for Washington Channel and 8,000 other beaches.