The lawsuit argues that federal agencies and military sites created landfills, allowed waste to flow into the river and perpetuated an outdated sewage system that dumped waste directly into the Anacostia.

The District of Columbia on Friday filed a lawsuit seeking to hold the federal government responsible for pollution in the Anacostia River, accusing it of systematically contaminating the river over the past 150 years by treating it as a dumping ground for sewage,

"Throughout history, the US government has unjustly ignored the exposure of communities of color to pollution, resulting in significant environmental, climate, and health challenges impacting Black, Brown and other marginalized communities," said Carmel Henry, President of the NAACP DC Branch in a statement on Friday.

The federal government has been the number one driver of pollution," said D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb.

The District of Columbia on Friday filed a lawsuit against the federal government over pollution in the Anacostia River, arguing it has inflicted “catastrophic harm” on the mostly poor and minority communities living along the urban waterway.

A new lawsuit accuses the federal government of polluting the Anacostia River for over a century. FOX 5's Homa Bash breaks down the issue.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against the federal government for its role in polluting the Anacostia River. “The US government has treated the Anacostia River as its dumping ground for toxic waste and chemicals,