It’s not new: The U.S. Navy has been discharging weapons into the Potomac River, south of the Harry Nice Bridge, since 1918.
But as the Navy plans to expand its test range beyond the more than 50 miles stretching from just below the Harry Nice Bridge to the mouth of the Potomac River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay, two environmental groups, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and the Natural Resources Defense Council, are suing.
Dean Naujoks, who serves as the Lower Potomac Riverkeeper, told WTOP in an interview that the lawsuit, filed in federal court, doesn’t seek to end the weapons testing. Instead, the goal is to force the Navy to obtain a permit, “like every other entity is required to do to discharge into the Potomac River,” or U.S. waters.
Naujoks said that more than 33 million pounds of ordnance has been discharged into the Potomac for over 90 years “without any permit, without any limit” and the lawsuit argues that’s a violation of the Clean Water Act.
“The fact that we are on the nation’s river, literally 50 miles from Washington, and the Navy has continued to operate without a Clean Water Act permit is kind of baffling, to be honest with you,” Naujoks said.
The Navy did an environmental impact study in 2013, but, Naujoks argues, since the study relied on modeling, it didn’t go far enough.
The Naval Sea Systems Command website has information on the operations of the Potomac River Test Range that explains “These facilities are used by our military to conduct munitions testing and should be avoided while testing is in progress.”
The website mentions that the testing has the potential to produce “very loud noise” in communities surrounding the Naval Support Facility at Dahlgren, Virginia.
Along with environmental issues, the suit is concerned with the impact that the discharge of munitions has on commercial fishing.
“We know that watermen are pulling these projectiles out of the river when they’re out there harvesting oysters or pulling crabs up,” said Naujoks.
“The Department of the Navy does not comment on ongoing litigation. Inquiries regarding litigation should be referred to the Department of Justice,” the U.S. Navy Office of Information said in a statement to WTOP.
