(Washington, DC) On January 28, 2009 the District, with the DC Water and Sewer Authority and federal partners, co-hosted a meeting at the National Capital Planning Commission to provide an update on an initiative to make improvements to a component of the city’s floodplain infrastructure known as the Potomac Park Levee.

The Potomac Park Levee, located on National Park Service property between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, protects downtown, SE and SW Washington, DC.  It features a long-time temporary closure at 17th Street, NW between Constitution and Independence avenues.

In 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers deemed the closure structure to be “insufficiently protective” at 17th Street. Since then the District, in cooperation with federal partners, has been working to construct improvements to the 17th Street closure structure in order to mitigate flood risk to residents, homeowners and merchants in the affected area, which includes portions of downtown, SE and SW. In addition, those who live or have property located in the affected area are encouraged to purchase flood insurance as a measure of protection, available until November 2009 at a discounted rate.

For information about this project, please contact Anita Hairston, DC Office of Planning, at (202)442-7635 or [email protected].