United States. Department of the Interior

History

The Nation's River A report on the Potomac from the U.S. Department of the Interior

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English

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THE NATION'S RIVER

A report on the Potomac from the U.S. Department of the Interior, with recommendations for action by the Federal Interdepartmental Task Force on the Potomac.

LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY—WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY—WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240

POTOMAC RIVER BASIN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

CONTENTS

THE RIVER IN TIME

1830

1936 Flood scene

Civil War Chain Bridge

Early 1900—canoeists near Seneca, Md.

1917 Washington Waterfront

Washington Waterfront today

POTOMAC RIVER BASIN

1936 Flood scene

Civil War Chain Bridge

Early 1900—canoeists near Seneca, Md.

1917 Washington Waterfront

Washington Waterfront today

POTOMAC RIVER BASIN

I. THE WAY THINGS ARE

Proposed Water Resource Development

North Mountain

Town Creek

North Mountain

Town Creek

II. TOWARD A MORE USEFUL RIVER

Problems of Water Supply in the Potomac Basin

WATER SUPPLY POTOMAC RIVER, WASH. D.C.

GROUND WATER LEVELS WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA

WATER SUPPLY POTOMAC RIVER, WASH. D.C.

GROUND WATER LEVELS WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA

Possible Answers

Flooding in the Basin

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

FLOOD PLAIN DELINEATION POTOMAC RIVER AT HANCOCK, MD.

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

FLOOD PLAIN DELINEATION POTOMAC RIVER AT HANCOCK, MD.

III. THE CLEANSING OF THE WATERS

Troubles above the Fall Line

WATER TREATMENT STEPS

PURPOSE OF CHEMICALS

WATER TREATMENT STEPS

PURPOSE OF CHEMICALS

The lower estuary

Techniques for cleaning up

Low Flow Augmentation

Machinery

Small Watershed Projects Boost Economy of Communities

IV. A GOOD PLACE TO BE

The Basin's amenities

Troubles and threats

The metropolis

This 26 square-mile section of the Rock Creek watershed, just above the District line in Maryland, was rural in 1913, with many small tributaries fed by springs and seeps. Ensuing development based on little knowledge of natural processes covered most of the old aquifer recharge areas with pavements and rooftops, so that more precipitation ran rapidly off the land instead of soaking in and flowing out gradually into streams. Flooding during storms and loss of flow at other times caused most of the tributaries to be covered over as storm sewers, so that out of 64 miles of natural flowing stream channels that existed in 1913 in this section, only 27 miles can be found above ground today.

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

Sprawl as a problem farther out

Industry in the landscape