Tidal Basin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tidal Basin is a partially man-made inlet adjacent to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It is part of West Potomac Park and is surrounded by the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The basin covers an area of about 107 acres and is 10 feet deep. The concept of the Tidal Basin originated in the 1880’s to serve both as a visual centerpiece and as a means for flushing the Washington Channel, a harbor separated from the Potomac River by fill lands where East Potomac Park is situated.

The basin is designed to release 250 million gallons of water captured at high tide twice a day. The inlet gates, located on the Potomac side of the basin, allow water to enter the basin during high tide. During this time, the outlet gates, on the Washington Channel side, close to store incoming water and block the flow of water and sediment into the channel. As the tide begins to ebb, the general outflow of water from the basin forces the inlet gates to close. This same force is applied to the outlet gates, which open into the channel. Silt build up is swept away by the extra force of water running from the Tidal Basin through the channel. The gates are maintained as navigable by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who has recently completed a project to restore the functioning of the gates.

[edit] Cherry Trees

The Tidal Basin is lined by approximately 3,750 Japanese cherry trees. About 125 of those trees are "originals" from a 1912 gift of 3,000 trees from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki. The trees blossom in early spring and the event is marked by the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

[edit] External links

• Midnight pictures on EastGhost

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Satellite image from Google Maps
  • Hybrid satellite image/street map from WikiMapia
• Paddle Boating on the Tidal Basin

This article incorporates text from a National Park Service website([1]) that is a public domain work of the United States Government.