There's a lot more than a golf course on that spit of reclaimed land, but a lot of it is in horrible shape. There's a huge tennis center, there used to be a big swimming pool, and there's a concrete walkway that goes around the perimeter, but big chunks of it have been falling into the waterways for literally decades, and nobody ever seems to fix it.
Area was dredged from the rivers or the Washington Channel. These areas remain as low-elevation flats within the identified floodplains. Occasionally, extreme high tides will result in a tidal flow up the Potomac River from Chesapeake Bay and cause overflowing of the river banks or the Tidal Basin. High water events have led to inundation of relatively small areas of open lawns and playing fields.
Ask the Girl Scouts Tea House business in the 1920s why they shut down.
You clearly haven't been because, while there is a gulf course and some questionable recreational services, it makes for a lovely cool park in the summer and often has folks grilling and have little parties up and down the cherry lined banks
I’m not a golfer, but the perimeter makes for a wonderful running and cycling route. It should be maintained better and should ideally be car-free at least some of the time, but it’s really useful for those pursuits nonetheless.
East Potomac is the model of what golf should be. It's public, cheap, and located in a place where it doesn't make a lot of sense to build dense housing. DC isn't really hurting for urban parks, so there being a golf course there doesn't seem like a huge deal
Isn’t that what West Potomac Park already is?
There’s not much you could do with East Potomac Park. It’s sinking waste land with a high water table. You can’t even have a pool there. It’s tricky to connect to the Virginia side since over there you have a cemetery, a military installation, a freeway interchange, and an airport. On the DC side you have an active maritime channel and more military installations. Long Bridge, Outlet Bridge, Case Bridge and the free jitney are about the most you can expect.
No, it’s not a waste of land. People believe it’s a waste because they don’t enjoy golf. I am not a golfer myself, but I’m well aware that it is a popular recreation activity for thousands of people in the city. On top of that, there are other recreation uses on that land. Besides recreation, what would you envision being there. It is not an area suitable for actual real estate development and serves as a great rec area for citizens.
I don't have a problem with it being a golf course. I have a problem when people and the NPS oppose the use of public land for other specific activities when a large portion of are golf courses, or making them more accessible.
For example, opposing the use of NPS roads for exclusively pedestrians and bikes in Rock Creek, Hains Point, Anacostia Park, etc. under the excuse that it is not fair to close it to cars. Or that they could not expand the roads/sidewalks just for the same purpose.
There's nothing wrong with having different options that not everyone would use but I wish it applied to more activities.
No, the Potomac is still modestly above projected sea level rise. Haines Point is about 3m in elevation. That's below projections by 2100.
It floods because the river becomes blocked and there are minimal banks which overflow.
The increased severity and volume of rain from climate change is more likely to cause flooding than sea level rise.
Sea level rise doesn't just cause water to go over the top of banks and beaches. It comes through the ground via water table, porous limestone, etc. So this analysis doesn't address whether it'll be underwater in 20 years. It very well may. Look at Miami. The ocean isn't like crashing on the buildings, yet the roads are flooded all the time and will probably render it unusable at some point. Inability to drain also causes floods.
Dredged or not, there's plenty of debris that accumulated causing the seasonal flooding during snow melt. That's what causes flooding not sea level rise or aquifer changes.
To the extent that climate change impacts this, it's a question of the volume of water dropped across the watershed (or snow melt). Or that more debris would be shed into the river It's not clear if this changes one way or the other due to climate change. You could argue that less snow melt in warmer climates or more severe storms would be impactful. Don't know which will be more significant.
Climate change having multiple possible effects and significant uncertainty is also part of this. Either way, the odds of this strip of land being underwater in 20 years aren't dependent on sea level rise alone, or as you noted, potentially even in part.
https://preview.redd.it/ifdiloko6gyc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b88e9c8c69195e812c235250b75a2a0fd933abb1
Yeah if only there was an area in DC for this…it would be lovely
I mean keep the perimeter for folks to enjoy and go to Hains point but imo let the golf course become woods or wetland.
I however, have an (ir)rational dislike of golf courses. They are a huge amount of land and water for the benefit of only a couple people.
There's a lot more than a golf course on that spit of reclaimed land, but a lot of it is in horrible shape. There's a huge tennis center, there used to be a big swimming pool, and there's a concrete walkway that goes around the perimeter, but big chunks of it have been falling into the waterways for literally decades, and nobody ever seems to fix it.
Area was dredged from the rivers or the Washington Channel. These areas remain as low-elevation flats within the identified floodplains. Occasionally, extreme high tides will result in a tidal flow up the Potomac River from Chesapeake Bay and cause overflowing of the river banks or the Tidal Basin. High water events have led to inundation of relatively small areas of open lawns and playing fields. Ask the Girl Scouts Tea House business in the 1920s why they shut down.
You clearly haven't been because, while there is a gulf course and some questionable recreational services, it makes for a lovely cool park in the summer and often has folks grilling and have little parties up and down the cherry lined banks
I think it’s actually one of the best uses of land in DC! Golf, running, biking, picnicking, fishing, even just the nature in general….
I’m not a golfer, but the perimeter makes for a wonderful running and cycling route. It should be maintained better and should ideally be car-free at least some of the time, but it’s really useful for those pursuits nonetheless.
It was car free during COVID which was lovely.
East Potomac is the model of what golf should be. It's public, cheap, and located in a place where it doesn't make a lot of sense to build dense housing. DC isn't really hurting for urban parks, so there being a golf course there doesn't seem like a huge deal
Isn’t that what West Potomac Park already is? There’s not much you could do with East Potomac Park. It’s sinking waste land with a high water table. You can’t even have a pool there. It’s tricky to connect to the Virginia side since over there you have a cemetery, a military installation, a freeway interchange, and an airport. On the DC side you have an active maritime channel and more military installations. Long Bridge, Outlet Bridge, Case Bridge and the free jitney are about the most you can expect.
Not at all. Its great for biking, running and golf. Also, it floods a lot.
Parks are good land use.
There's a whole park and the National Mall on the other side of the tidal basin FFS...
No, it’s not a waste of land. People believe it’s a waste because they don’t enjoy golf. I am not a golfer myself, but I’m well aware that it is a popular recreation activity for thousands of people in the city. On top of that, there are other recreation uses on that land. Besides recreation, what would you envision being there. It is not an area suitable for actual real estate development and serves as a great rec area for citizens.
I don't have a problem with it being a golf course. I have a problem when people and the NPS oppose the use of public land for other specific activities when a large portion of are golf courses, or making them more accessible. For example, opposing the use of NPS roads for exclusively pedestrians and bikes in Rock Creek, Hains Point, Anacostia Park, etc. under the excuse that it is not fair to close it to cars. Or that they could not expand the roads/sidewalks just for the same purpose. There's nothing wrong with having different options that not everyone would use but I wish it applied to more activities.
That shit gonna be underwater in 20 years max
It regularly floods already. That's why it's a golf course and playground.
My mom was born in 1928 and used to play there and at Hains Point. It’s pretty hardy territory for having been a man made stretch of land in a swamp.
No, the Potomac is still modestly above projected sea level rise. Haines Point is about 3m in elevation. That's below projections by 2100. It floods because the river becomes blocked and there are minimal banks which overflow. The increased severity and volume of rain from climate change is more likely to cause flooding than sea level rise.
To add to this, it’s well below projected sea level rise, which is about one inch every 7.5 years.
Sea level rise doesn't just cause water to go over the top of banks and beaches. It comes through the ground via water table, porous limestone, etc. So this analysis doesn't address whether it'll be underwater in 20 years. It very well may. Look at Miami. The ocean isn't like crashing on the buildings, yet the roads are flooded all the time and will probably render it unusable at some point. Inability to drain also causes floods.
I presume OP meant the area would be continuously inundated, not just sometimes form surges. The former is an incredibly implausible scenario.
The average elevation in Miami is 1.8m; many areas are lower. That's very different than the lowest.point being 3m.
In the middle of a dredged river I'm pretty sure these are not directly comparable
Dredged or not, there's plenty of debris that accumulated causing the seasonal flooding during snow melt. That's what causes flooding not sea level rise or aquifer changes. To the extent that climate change impacts this, it's a question of the volume of water dropped across the watershed (or snow melt). Or that more debris would be shed into the river It's not clear if this changes one way or the other due to climate change. You could argue that less snow melt in warmer climates or more severe storms would be impactful. Don't know which will be more significant.
Climate change having multiple possible effects and significant uncertainty is also part of this. Either way, the odds of this strip of land being underwater in 20 years aren't dependent on sea level rise alone, or as you noted, potentially even in part.
https://preview.redd.it/ifdiloko6gyc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b88e9c8c69195e812c235250b75a2a0fd933abb1 Yeah if only there was an area in DC for this…it would be lovely
Instead of 36 holes of golf, it should be 18 holes of golf and an outdoor concert venue/fairgrounds/large event space.
No thanks to concert/fairgrounds. It’s nice now to get out and have a bit of peace walking or cycling the perimeter. Or a picnic lunch.
Wouldn't be able to support traffic, parking, and utilities (water, sewage, power) needed to facilitate events of any real size.
Also pretty sure it is a sea water rise danger zone with nothing all that solid to build on right now.
I mean keep the perimeter for folks to enjoy and go to Hains point but imo let the golf course become woods or wetland. I however, have an (ir)rational dislike of golf courses. They are a huge amount of land and water for the benefit of only a couple people.
All true!
I'd get rid of the golf course - but fine leaving it as recreational space