News Release

National Park Service to hold public meeting on proposed rehabilitation of Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawalls

NPS photo

News Release Date: July 12, 2022

Contact: Mike Litterst, 202-306-4166

Washington – The National Park Service (NPS) will hold a virtual public scoping meeting on Tuesday, July 19 for the development of an Environmental Assessment for a proposed project to repair and rehabilitate the seawalls around the Tidal Basin and in West Potomac Park. Following the meeting, comments may be submitted on the project website starting July 19 through September 12.  

In the years since their construction, the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawalls have significantly settled and been compromised, leading to overtopping of the seawalls in some sections twice a day during normal tidal conditions and the water does not dissipate in a timely manner due to poor drainage. Under the proposed project, portions of the failing Tidal Basin seawall north and south of the Inlet Bridge, as well as the West Potomac Park seawall, would be reconstructed using modern concrete and stone veneer technology that will increase durability and maintain the historic character. The sidewalk on top of the seawall along the Tidal Basin will be replaced and regraded to provide smoother, more accessible connections to other pathways. New, stronger foundations will be able to support height extensions of the wall if it is needed due to future rising sea levels or increasing storm surge elevations.  

A virtual public scoping meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Information will be presented via a webinar accessible at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SeawallRehabilitation on the date and time. National Park Service officials will present an overview of the project and be available for questions. Please note that comments from the meeting will not be recorded, so formal comments for the proposed improvements must be submitted online or by mail for consideration. The scoping meeting will be recorded, and the recording will be accessible at the project website after the meeting concludes.

This virtual scoping meeting will also serve as the initial public meeting for the Section 106 process of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. Interested parties are invited to identify ways to avoid and minimize the potential for adverse effects to historic properties in the vicinity of the project site. The planning and environmental compliance process for the proposed seawalls project is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

How to Comment
Interested parties are encouraged to provide written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, providing comments at the public meeting. The preferred manner for providing comments is via an online form through the National Park Service Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website, used by the agency to manage official correspondence and analyze public comment in the planning process. Starting July 19, from the project website (https://go.nps.gov/seawalls), navigate the menu on the left-hand side of the page to “Open for Comment,” then open the “Public Comment Period Open until 9/12” folder. The green “Comment Now” button will take you to the online form.

Comments may also be submitted in writing to:
 

Superintendent Jeff Reinbold            
National Mall and Memorial Parks
900 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20024
ATTN: Seawall Rehabilitation

Comments must be entered into the website or postmarked by September 12, 2022 to receive consideration.

Please be aware that the entire comment submitted – including personal identifying information such as address, phone number, and email address – may be made publicly available. Requests to withhold such personal identifying information from public release will be considered, but there is no guarantee that they will be withheld.

-NPS-