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The Anacostia River is a river that flows about 8.4 mi (13.5 km) from Prince George's County in Maryland, USA and through Washington, D.C. where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Hains Point. The name "Anacostia" derives from the area's early history as Nacochtank, a settlement of Necostan or Anacostan Native Americans on the banks of the Anacostia River. Captain John Smith recorded in his journals that he sailed up the "Eastern Branch" or Anacostia River in 1608 in his search for the main branch of the Potomac River and was well received by the Anacostans.

Heavy pollution in the Anacostia and weak investment and development along its banks have led to it becoming what many have called "D.C.'s forgotten river." In recent years, however, private organizations, local businesses, and the D.C., Maryland and federal governments have made joint efforts to reduce its pollution levels in order to protect the ecologically valuable Anacostia watershed.

The watershed of the river roughly covers 176 sq. mi. (456 km²) in eastern Montgomery County and northern Prince George's County, as well as parts of Washington, D.C. Tributaries of the Anacostia include Northwest Branch and Northeast Branch, the confluence of which just above Bladensburg forms the main stem of the river; Sligo Creek, Paint Branch, Little Paint Branch, Indian Creek; Beaverdam Creek, Dueling Branch, and Brier Ditch flow into these two tributaries while Lower Beaverdam Creek and Hickory Run flow directly into the river.

One of the biggest problems facing the Anacostia River is raw sewage that enters the river and its tributaries due to antiquated sewer systems. The sewage creates a public health threat due to fecal coliform bacteria and other pathogens; it also impairs water quality and can create hypoxic conditions that lead to large fish kills.

The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) sued the Washington, D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) in 1999 for allowing more than 2 billion US gallons (7,600,000 m³) of combined sewage and storm water to flow into the river via its antiquated combined sewer overflow system. In settling the lawsuit, WASA agreed to invest US$140 million on pump station rehabilitation, pipe cleaning and maintenance and public notices of overflows.

In late 2004, AWS and other organizations announced plans to sue the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) over similar problems with river contamination from the Maryland suburbs. According to WSSC, more than 4 million US gallons (15,000 m³) of raw sewage were released into Anacostia tributaries between January 2001 and June 2004. The discharges are due to breaks in older sewer lines as well as overwhelmed or failing pumps and clogged lines.

Another large source of river pollution is the Washington Navy Yard, which is sited alongside the river and is believed to be a source of PCB contaminants in the river and sediment.

• List of Maryland rivers
• Anacostia
• Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
• John Philip Sousa Bridge
• Whitney Young Memorial Bridge
• Maryland Crew

• Anacostia Watershed Society
• Anacostia Watershed Network
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources Anacostia site

	Potomac River system Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Variant names
	Regions
	Allegheny Front | Allegheny Mountains | Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area | Blue Ridge Mountains | Cumberland Valley | Eastern Panhandle | Northern Neck | Northern Virginia | Potomac Highlands | Ridge-and-valley Appalachians | Shenandoah Valley | Southern Maryland | Western Maryland
	Tributaries
	North Branch | Stony River | Abram Creek | Savage River | Georges Creek | Wills Creek | Evitts Creek | Patterson Creek | South Branch | North Fork South Branch | South Fork South Branch | Town Creek | Little Cacapon River | Fifteenmile Creek | Sideling Hill Creek | Cacapon River | Lost River | North River (West Virginia) | Tonoloway Creek | Sleepy Creek | Licking Creek | Back Creek | Little Conococheague Creek | Conococheague Creek | Opequon Creek | Antietam Creek | Shenandoah River | North Fork Shenandoah River | South Fork Shenandoah River | North River (Virginia) | South River | Catoctin Creek (Maryland) | Catoctin Creek (Virginia) | Monocacy River | Little Monocacy River | Goose Creek | Little River | Seneca Creek | Cabin John Creek | Rock Creek | Anacostia River | Sligo Creek | Four Mile Run | Oxon Creek | Hunting Creek | Piscataway Creek | Dogue Creek | Accotink Creek | Pohick Creek | Occoquan River | Bull Run | Neabsco Creek | Mattawoman Creek | Quantico Creek | Chopawamsic Creek | Aquia Creek | Potomac Creek | Nanjemoy Creek | Port Tobacco River | Wicomico River | Coan River | St. Marys River | Yeocomico River | Hull Creek
	Lakes and reservoirs
	Lake Accotink | Lake Anne | Lake Artemesia | Lake Bernard Frank | Lake Braddock | Breckenridge Reservoir | Brushy Fork Lake | Burke Lake | Dalecarlia Reservoir | Georgetown Reservoir | Jennings Randolph Lake | Kingman Lake | McMillan Reservoir | Mount Storm Lake | Lake Needwood | Sleepy Creek Lake | Stony River Reservoir | Trout Pond | Warden Lake
	Dependent states
	District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia