Existing comment:
Saving the City
The National Park Service's mission is to preserve places for current and future generations to enjoy. In the 1930s, the National Park Service became the steward of the federal park lands in the nation's capital, protecting the monuments and memorials of the National Mall.
Parkland separates the Potomac River from government buildings and the homes of nearly one million residents. To protect the city from floods, the park has had to change Over time.
An earthen levee was built near here during a flood in 1936. When it was expanded, a gap was left at 17th Street to allow the road to be flat. The gap could be easily filled with sand bags during a flood. Unfortunately, the floods of 1937, 1942, 1972, and 2006 proved that idea wrong.
In 2014, the 17th Street Levee filled the gap and now protects the city from 500 year floods.
Workers build a temporary levee as floodwaters rise in 1936. The levee along the north side of the Reflecting Pool would be rebuilt and strengthened in 1939.
Today, workers install the 17th Street levee every year to ensure a smooth installation if it is ever needed for flood protection.
A 2010 flood map shows a 100 year flood (blue) and a 500 year flood (orange) penetrating the city at 17th Street, allowing flood waters to reach federal buildings, the Capitol, and the Southwest quadrant of the city. |