A crew of people who work to clean up the Potomac River discovered more than 20 e-bikes and scooters were dumped in the water right below The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks and other members of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network recently spent days pulling the bikes and scooters out of the river.
“We went out and tried to retrieve as many as we could. We got about eight of these e-bikes, scooters, pulled them out of the river. Now we’re trying to figure out how to get these out of here and get the companies that own them and take responsibility,” Naujoks said.
He said they could easily spot the scooters and bikes in the water.
“It’s completely unacceptable that people would take and throw so many of these e-bikes and scooters into the river. So we want accountability,” he said.
The bikes and scooters pose a risk to the source of the D.C. area’s drinking water, according to Naujoks.
“So, if people are throwing these e-bikes and scooters in the river, eventually, you know, they’re gonna corrode and the batteries will break down into the river. That’s obviously a concern,” he said.
Naujoks wants the D.C. government and the companies who own the scooters to take action.
“We’re really concerned, obviously, about these e-bikes and scooters because they have tracking devices and the company should be retrieving them,” he said. “So these companies know they’re being thrown in the river, but they’re just not retrieving them.”
A spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Transportation told News4 it’s working with the organization and the companies to remove the scooters and bikes. Those companies could be fined once DDOT determines the cost of the recovery.
Two companies, Lime and Bird, told News4 they would be coordinating with the Riverkeeper to retrieve their scooters.
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