Community Groups Test Water After 22,000 Gallons Jet Fuel Leak

After 22,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked into Maryland's Piscataway Creek last December, local residents waited for someone to test the water where they fish and boat. Five months later, they're still waiting.

The fuel spilled from Joint Base Andrews into the creek's headwaters, flowing 18.6 miles downstream to Fort Washington Park on the Potomac River. While the military base recovered 10,000 gallons, the rest entered the environment and made its way toward a beloved fishing spot that draws anglers from across Washington.

Neither the military base, the National Park Service, nor the Maryland Department of the Environment tested the water at the creek's mouth. The base said it has no plans to do so, despite only testing near the installation itself.

That's when Anjela Barnes and the Accokeek Foundation decided to act. Barnes, executive director of the foundation and a member of the Piscataway people, saw her community being overlooked.

The foundation is now partnering with Potomac Riverkeeper Network to launch independent water quality monitoring. Trained volunteers will collect weekly water samples that will be analyzed through the network's community science program at their floating laboratory in National Harbor.

The Ripple Effect

This volunteer effort does more than just fill a testing gap. It shows how communities can protect themselves when institutions fall short, creating a model that other overlooked neighborhoods might follow.

The Maryland Department of the Environment did extend monitoring downstream after residents asked for it during a May site visit. Sometimes the best way to get agencies to act is to show you're willing to do their job for them.

Barnes and her team aren't waiting for permission to protect the waters their ancestors have relied on for generations. They're gathering the data their community needs to stay safe, one weekly sample at a time.

The volunteers start collecting samples this summer, bringing transparency to waters that government agencies left in the dark.