Anacostia River Partners Announce Real-Time E. coli Water Quality Pilot

One of only six real-time E. coli risk monitoring programs in the U.S., bringing more awareness to water quality and recreation ahead of busy Labor Day Weekend.

Washington, D.C. — The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions and Anacostia Riverkeeper today announced the launch of a real-time E. coli monitoring research pilot on the Anacostia River.

This new addition to the Reservoir Center’s Water Quality Monitoring Program is in partnership with Virridy, which developed the Lume, a real-time E. coli risk sensor deployed in five other U.S. cities, including Chicago and Boulder, Colo.  

Conventional river E. coli testing is done by regulators, nonprofit staff, and volunteers and takes up to a day to process and produce results. Because each sample requires staff or volunteers to physically collect water, transport it to a lab, and wait for results, most monitoring programs can only test a given site a handful of times per month at most. The sensors, deployed at three sites along the Anacostia River, relay E. coli risk estimates to a public dashboard in minutes over cellular or satellite networks.  

"Although critically important to measuring the health of our waterways, manual E. coli testing gives us infrequent data about what conditions were like at a single moment in time in the past," said Nicole Horvath, program manager at the Reservoir Center. "The new sensors give us continuous estimates almost a hundred times a day to help us understand how specific conditions, like a heavy rainfall event, impact the river system.” 

Over the course of the pilot, partners will compare Lume sensor estimates against traditional E. coli monitoring on the Anacostia, testing the technology's performance while generating new insights into how conditions change over time. Rather than replacing established testing methods, the pilot is designed to evaluate what continuous, high-frequency monitoring can add to the region's understanding of water quality patterns and what influences them.

"Two years ago, Anacostia Riverkeeper organized what would have been the first legal swim in the Anacostia in more than half a century," said Trey Sherard, Anacostia Riverkeeper. "We made the call to postpone based on 24-hour-old data, and the next day, the lab confirmed the water had been safe all along. By piloting the Lume sensors, we add more to our understanding of the river, which could open up many new opportunities for recreational access on the Anacostia River."   

E. coli is the primary indicator that determines whether waterways are safe for recreation, sharing information on risk levels for communities that paddle, row, and fish on the Anacostia River. Rather than culturing bacteria in a lab, the Lume reads a natural fluorescent marker in the water linked to fecal contamination and instantly converts it into an E. coli risk estimate. Fecal contamination carries E. coli bacteria into local waterways through combined sewer overflows during heavy rainfall and stormwater runoff carrying pet and wildlife waste. 

“The Anacostia watershed is a recreational and ecological hub for more than 800,000 residents, but recreators have been making decisions on yesterday's data,” said Evan Thomas, CEO of Virridy. “Culture-based testing tells you whether the water was safe 18 to 24 hours ago. The Lume estimates contamination risk continuously, giving our partners more frequent insight into changing conditions, and over time, building a more complete picture of the health of this iconic urban river system.”  

These new sensors are part of a research pilot complementing, not replacing, official laboratory testing. Swimming remains prohibited in District waterways, and all river users are encouraged to exercise caution when recreating on the Anacostia, particularly after heavy rainfall. 

BACKGROUND: 

Operating like a weather app for local rivers, the Reservoir Center Water Quality Monitoring Program unites the expertise of local watershed organizations with innovative sensor technology to deliver actionable information to the public. The program’s dashboard is a transparent and centralized platform that tracks key, real-time water quality indicators, including dissolved oxygen, salt contamination, algal blooms, and others, all of which are tied to ecosystem and community health in and along these waterways. 

The new E. coli sensors’ data feeds are being incorporated into the Water Quality Monitoring Program dashboard in the coming months and eventually will be fully integrated. The Lume dashboard can be found here. 

The initiative advances a shared goal among the coalition's partners: achieving swimmable, fishable waterways throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. By removing barriers to water quality information, the program equips communities with the tools needed to participate meaningfully in the stewardship of their rivers. 

Watch Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard discuss the project on LinkedIn and Instagram and see the Lume sensor in action here.

About the Reservoir Center for Water Solutions  

The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions is a collaborative hub dedicated to advancing the shared interests of the global water sector. Through fostering open dialogue, partnership, and innovation, the Center works to accelerate progress toward solving the world’s most pressing water challenges. The Reservoir brings together a diverse community of more than 80 water-focused nonprofit organizations, all united in their commitment to driving sustainable water solutions worldwide. Learn more at reservoircenter.org.  

About Anacostia Riverkeeper 

Anacostia Riverkeeper is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Anacostia River for all who live, work, and play in its watershed. Established in 2008, Anacostia Riverkeeper has been a trusted name in the D.C. and Maryland metropolitan communities for over 15 years. One big goal directs our work: a healthy, swimmable, fishable, accessible Anacostia River that enhances the life of all watershed residents. Learn more at anacostiariverkeeper.org. 

About Virridy 

Virridy is a water and climate technology company that develops continuous environmental monitoring tools — including the Lume sensor platform — to give utilities, regulators, watershed organizations, and communities faster, more defensible information about water quality. Learn more at thelume.ai.