The Anacostia River, nicknamed “DC’s forgotten river,” is an infamously polluted tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. One of only three US rivers to be legally “impaired by trash,” it is also plagued by industrial pollution and toxic sewage outflows. But after years of work from local activists, progress for the river’s restoration is being made—so much that the Anacostia may soon be swimmable for the first time in over half a century. Could the success on the Anacostia be a sign that “Chesapeake Bay 2025” clean water deadlines are feasible?