The Wharf Water Cleanup

Join The Wharf community for our semi-annual clean-up of the District's waterways on Earth Day–Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Register for the cleanup on Eventbrite

We'll get kayaks from the Wharf Boathouse on Recreation Pier, collect trash from the waterways, then get together for an after-work happy hour.

Participants will be provided kayaks, paddles, life preservers, rubber gloves, and trash bags for collecting floating trash. All proceeds from this event will go to local waterway preservation organizations.

This event is supported by Pacifico Preserves, Pacifico's philanthropic organization committed to protecting the outdoors and advocating for better access to adventure for all and Giant Food. All money raised from this event will be donated by The Wharf to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

About The Wharf Water Cleanup

Every year, The Wharf's amazing restaurants, shops, music venues, and special events bring millions of visitors directly to DC's waterways, so we take our environmental stewardship and water cleanliness very seriously. We created floating wetlands to collect water pollutants, we gather all our trash in sealed containers, and we even constructed giant cisterns to capture runoff before it reaches the river. However, our most visible impact on the waterways comes each year during our Washington Channel Water Cleanup.

When it rains, wood debris and trash are washed from shores throughout the region into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The floating trash and debris are then pushed into the Washington Channel by the tide and wind, where they gather along the shore. All this debris harms the environment and aquatic life, damages piers and boat propellers, and is unsightly for everyone who lives, works, and recreates on the water.

Our community's annual cleanup efforts regularly remove multiple dumpsters full of wood, trash, and debris from the Washington Channel.