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,

The District of Columbia is suing the federal government over pollution in the Anacostia River, hoping it will lead to a cleanup of the urban waterway.

The lawsuit claims that pollution has resulted in swimming bans and fishing advisories along the Anacostia River.

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