Existing comment:
Washington's Historic Waterfront:
Improvements to the Potomac Park Levee:
Construction is now underway for an improved flood protection system for Washington, DC. Much of the city's downtown area, including portions of the monumental core, is at risk from the major flood event. The current Potomac Park Levee extends from the vicinity of the Lincoln Memorial along the north side of the Reflecting Pool and ends on the Washington Monument Grounds east of 17th Street, NW. Improvements are now focused on the 17th Street area, where the current flood protection system requires a temporary closure consisting of a combination of sandbags, moveable concrete barriers, and soil to create a temporary embankment across the street to block the flow of water into the downtown area. In order to meet new standards for flood control, a new structure is being built that will use a removable post and panel closure system in conjunction with flanking walls that will extend from 17th Street onto the adjacent areas of Constitution Gardens and the Washington Monument Grounds.
The Landscape Before Washington:
Prior to the creation of West Potomac Park, this area was open water at the confluence of Tiber Creek and the Potomac River. The south bank of Tiber Creek cut across what is now the Washington Monument Grounds, while the north bank cut across what is now the Ellipse. Historically, Tiber Creek drained about half of the downtown area, emptying into a broad, shallow tidal estuary. Tiber Creek was flanked by marshes and teemed with wildlife. Indians who camped along the creek would have gathered shellfish, waterfowl, crabs, and fish. Indian artifacts were collected from the Washington Monument Grounds in the 1880s, while the monument was in its final phase of construction. From the style of these artifacts, archaeologists can tell that Indian groups periodically visited this area for at least 7,000 years before the present day. |