The District is considering several steps to improve water quality in area rivers and waterways, including a virtual ban on the sale of dishwasher detergents that contain a popular but Chesapeake Bay-killing additive.

Under a bill introduced last week by D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, most if not all brand-name dishwasher detergents currently on store shelves would have to come off, from Cascade to Palmolive. The products contain phosphates that are slowly choking the life out of the Bay and its tributaries, Cheh said.

“We’ve all read stories about the fish in the rivers, the lesions that they have,” Cheh said. “It often reminds me of the ‘Simpsons’ episode when they have a fish that has two heads. We want to not go down that path.”

A 20-year-old D.C. law bans the sale of most phosphate-containing household cleaners, with the exception of dishwasher detergents. Cheh’s legislation, backed by nine of her colleagues, would limit the amount of phosphorous in those products to 0.5 percent by weight — less than what is found in most of today’s popular brands.

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“It’s a matter of the existing household name-brand products being at a disadvantage,” said Jenn Aiosa, a Maryland senior scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Whether or not they’ll reformulate, I’m not sure.”

The D.C. measure is similar to that being considered, or already adopted, by states nationwide, including Maryland. Major manufacturers are taking notice, including Colgate-Palmolive, which will introduce an eco-friendly, phosphate-free Palmolive in April.

“It is the first phosphate-free automatic dishwasher detergent available to the mass market in the U.S,” Tom Paolella, a spokesman for the company, said in a statement.

Phosphates are believed to enhance detergents’ cleaning ability. But once released into the Bay, phosphorous becomes one of two primary pollutants driving poor water quality, fish kills and dead zones, Aiosa said.

Cheh’s bill also bans the use of coal tar sealants and prohibits the disruption of riparian buffers around D.C. shorelines. The three provisions are the “low-hanging fruit that will help us minimize the amount of pollution in our waterways,” Cheh said.

mneibauer@dcexaminer.com