Although, your first thought of the State of Maryland may be the delicious seafood, it is the Chesapeake Bay and many other waterways that define the state. The extensive coastline that edges the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay is riddled with rivers, bays, and creeks that merge with other Bay tributaries.

The Anacostia River is just one example; The Anacostia River is small, only 8.4 miles in length. But its watershed encompasses 176 square miles within suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia, making it one of the most densely populated watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. Decades of growth and pollution caused the river to become a murky urban waterway that flowed through Washington, D.C. and emptied into the Potomac River. The river still takes the same path but Clean Water Fund is actively working to restore the natural beauty of this important waterway.

In 2005, Clean Water Fund created The Maryland Anacostia Watershed Initiative (MAWI) to work in two sub-watersheds; the Maryland portion of the Watts Branch, located in the Capitol Heights area of central Prince George’s County, and the Lower Northwest Branch, flowing from the confluence of Sligo Creek and Northwest Branch in West Hyattsville to the Bladensburg confluence with Northeast Branch. The goal of the Initiative is to work with the neighborhoods, municipalities and other local stakeholders to develop Action Plans and Resource Directories for each sub-watershed, based on local needs and concerns.

In 2006, Clean Water Fund doubled the reach of the MAWI by developing Action Plans and Resource Directories for four sub-watersheds in the Prince George's County portion of the Anacostia River watershed including the Watts Branch, the Lower Northeast Branch, Cabin Branch and Lower Northeast Branch.

Clean Water Fund further expanded its reach through the MAWI in 2007 into 20 of the Anacostia River’s sub-watersheds in Prince George’s County. Action Plans and Resource Directories have been developed and implemented in the Prince George's County portion of the Anacostia River. Stream clean ups, stream assessments, creation of transit-oriented development plans that support water restoration and improved storm water management are all underway with the help of local residents.