The Potomac Conservancy's 2013
State of the Nation’s River report, which assesses the health of the Potomac River, gave
the Potomac river an overall grade of C (improved from the previous grade, D).
In their assessment Potomac Conservancy focuses on three fish species, American
shad, striped bass, and white perch, all of which have seen increases in their
populations since 2012 and received a grade C or higher. Pollution levels have
also shown improvement with large reductions in pollutant indicators, such as
nitrogen. However, natural habitats, that play a key role in reducing the
pollution of the river, remain well below the goals of the Potomac Rivers
Watershed Improvement Plan .