Welcome to the Resource Library

The Potomac River is used for recreation and as a major water source for people in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The Visible Trash Survey is an important tool for monitoring the sources and composition of land-based trash in our watershed. Analyzing the trash data collected through this program provides information in directing efforts and resources towards trash and litter reduction. The survey involves categorizing and counting visible trash along a 200 foot length along a body of water, road or land, within the confines of the Potomac River watershed. Visible Trash Survey volunteers spend approximately an hour of their time per site and you may certainly monitor more than one site. (Please note that you must receive permission by the landowner to monitor a site located on private property.)