Flooding has affected miles of tidal coastlines across the United States, and experts are worried that D.C.’s waterfronts could be at risk according to the East of the River News. The National Climate Assessment has reported that across the country, tidal waters have risen an average of eight inches over the past hundred years due to glacial melt and rising sea temperatures. 

Washington, D.C. is located at the junction of the Anacostia and Potomac River. Like other waterfront cities, the district could suffer from this increased flooding and subsidence, or sinking land. 

D.C. will face increased flooding and eventual geographic change due to the rise of sea level, Bilal Ayyub and associates explained in the 2012 risk-analysis report “Prediction and Impact of Sea Level Rise on Properties and Infrastructure of Washington, D.C.” The most vulnerable areas are the lowest points: the Anacostia shoreline, the Potomac, and the Tidal Basin, which makes up just about all of D.C.’s waterfront.

These findings raise a few major concerns. The city could lose a major part of its public and recreational space, and flooding of railroad lines could stagger transportation movement throughout the entire Mid-Atlantic region.

According to the forecasting agency Climate Central, D.C. could face an eight-foot flood about every 10 years. Some neighborhoods, like Foggy Bottom, Navy Yard, and the Southwest Waterfront area are more at risk than others. Major routes to Georgetown and along Rock Creek Parkway could also be affected. 

So what can a city like D.C. do to protect its waterfronts? First, it can make infrastructural changes. Already, the city has built a wall at 17th Street SW to protect the national mall and downtown from flooding. Residents who live or work in flood zones can protect their homes and buildings by putting generators on upper floors instead of basements. Some developers have begun constructing buildings with underground cisterns to absorb water and fortified water pumps for electricity. How exactly climate change will affect D.C.’s waterfront areas is still unclear. But city planners are taking necessary measures to prepare for the future.