Tidal Basin - wikipedia Tidal Basin For a generic basin or vessel that can be flooded and drained, see drydock. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2008 ) Tidal Basin ( District of Columbia ) Location Washington, D.C. Coordinates 38 ° 53 ′ 01 '' N 77 ° 02 ′ 20 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.883723 ° N 77.038866 ° W ﻿ / 38.883723 ; - 77.038866 ﻿ ( Tidal Basin ( District of Columbia ) ) Coordinates : 38 ° 53 ′ 01 '' N 77 ° 02 ′ 20 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.883723 ° N 77.038866 ° W ﻿ / 38.883723 ; - 77.038866 ﻿ ( Tidal Basin ( District of Columbia ) ) Type Artificial Primary inflows Potomac River 38 ° 52 ′ 49 '' N 77 ° 02 ′ 25 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.880177 ° N 77.040267 ° W ﻿ / 38.880177 ; - 77.040267 ﻿ ( Tidal Basin ( District of Columbia ) Inlet Gate ) Primary outflows Washington Channel 38 ° 52 ′ 58 '' N 77 ° 01 ′ 59 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.882765 ° N 77.033044 ° W ﻿ / 38.882765 ; - 77.033044 ﻿ ( Tidal Basin ( District of Columbia ) Outlet Gate ) Basin countries United States Surface area 107 acres ( 0.43 km ) Average depth 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) Surface elevation 3 feet ( 0.91 m ) References `` Tidal Basin ''. Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. The Tidal Basin is a partially man - made reservoir between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in Washington, D.C. It is part of West Potomac Park and is a focal point of the National Cherry Blossom Festival held each spring. The Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the George Mason Memorial are situated adjacent to the Tidal Basin. The basin covers an area of about 107 acres ( 43 ha ) and is 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) deep. Contents 1 History 2 Design 3 Incidents 4 Recreation 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Tidal Basin in the 1920s The concept of the Tidal Basin originated in the 1880s 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. Peter Conover Hains, an engineering officer in the U.S. Army, oversaw the design and construction. The basin was initially named Twining Lake, in honor of Major William Johnson Twining ( U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ), Washington DC 's first Engineer Commissioner. According to testimony given to a Congressional subcommittee in 1917, it was Major Twining 's idea to create a tidal reservoir and use that water to help `` flush '' the Washington Channel, and the design was carried out by Colonel Hains. A 1917 Army Corps of Engineers map of Washington already shows the basin with the name `` Twining Lake ''. The Tidal Basin which exists today was not laid out until after World War II. It was built in 1949 by the construction firm of Alexander and Repass, which was unusual at that time because Alexander was of African descent and Repass was of European descent. Design The Tidal Basin with cherry blossoms Tidal Basin Orphans playing in the Tidal Basin circa 1924 The basin is designed to release 250 million US gallons ( 950,000 m ) 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, which has recently completed a project to restore the functioning of the gates. The northern lobe of the basin is crossed by the 433 foot ( 132.0 m ) Kutz Memorial Bridge, named in honor of Brigadier General Charles W. Kutz the Commissioner of Engineering for the District of Columbia during the first half of the 20th century, carrying eastbound Independence Avenue traffic in three lanes. The bridge was designed by Paul Cret, begun in 1941, completed 1943 and altered with dedication in 1954. It is of concrete and steel on pilings, all granite faced. As part of the restoration and redesign of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, completed in 2012, water is pumped from the Tidal Basin to fill the pool. Incidents The Tidal Basin was the scene of a scandalous drunken incident involving the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, Democratic Congressman Wilbur Mills. On October 7, 1974, Mills ' car, with an Argentine stripper known as Fanne Foxe in the back with Mills and driven by a former Nixon staffer, was stopped by US Park police late at night because the driver had not turned on the headlights. Mills was intoxicated and his face was cut from a scuffle with Foxe. When police approached the car, Foxe leapt from the car and jumped into the nearby Tidal Basin. Despite the scandal, Mills was re-elected to Congress in November 1974 with 60 % of the vote, but in December he drunkenly staggered onstage at a Boston strip club where Ms. Foxe was performing. Soon after this second embarrassment Mills was forced to step down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. Mills eventually acknowledged his alcoholism, sought treatment at the West Palm Beach Institute, and joined Alcoholics Anonymous. He did not seek re-election in 1976. Recreation From mid-March until October, paddle - boats are available for rent. The activity is very popular during the Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place in April. Both two and four person paddle - boats are available. The Tidal Basin as seen from the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Monuments seen are the Washington ( left ) and the Jefferson Memorial ( right ). Gallery Jefferson Memorial as seen from across the Tidal Basin Inlet gate Inlet bridge ( south eastern end ) Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial George Mason Memorial See also West Potomac Park References Jump up ^ Park Historic Structures Program, National Park Service. `` Kutz Memorial Bridge - Res. 332 ''. List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2013. Jump up ^ Ruane, Michael E. ( August 6, 2012 ). `` Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool nearly ready after $34 million reconstruction ''. Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2012. Jump up ^ Green, Stephen ( 1974 - 10 - 11 ). `` Mills Admits Being Present During Tidal Basin Scuffle ''. Washington Post. Retrieved 2009 - 04 - 05. Jump up ^ http://www.tidalbasinpaddleboats.com/directions_hours.html%7CTidal Basin Paddle Boats Official Website ) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tidal Basin. Map all coordinates using : OpenStreetMap Google Maps Download coordinates as : KML GPX Historic American Engineering Record ( HAER ) No. DC - 9, `` Tidal Reservoir '' HAER No. DC - 9 - A, `` Tidal Reservoir, Inlet Bridge '' HAER No. DC - 9 - B, `` Tidal Reservoir, Outlet '' Paddle Boating on the Tidal Basin KUTZ, Charles W : Plaque on Kutz Bridge at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Landmarks of Washington, D.C. Memorials Adams African American Civil War American Veterans Disabled for Life Belmont - Paul Women 's Equality National Monument Mary McLeod Bethune Boy Scout James Buchanan D.C. War Albert Einstein Emancipation John Ericsson First Division James A. Garfield Samuel Gompers Ulysses S. Grant Holocaust Museum Holodomor Genocide Japanese American Patriotism During World War II Jefferson Memorial Lyndon Baines Johnson Grove John Paul Jones Marquis de Lafayette Law Enforcement Officers Lincoln Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr. Korean War Veterans George Mason George Meade National Statuary Hall Collection Navy -- Merchant Marine Nuns of the Battlefield Peace Monument Pentagon Second Division Signers of the Declaration of Independence The Extra Mile The Three Soldiers Jean de Rochambeau Franklin Delano Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Island Taras Shevchenko Statues of the Liberators Oscar Straus Robert A. Taft Titanic United States Air Force United States Navy Victims of Communism Vietnam Veterans Vietnam Women 's Washington Monument Daniel Webster World War II Rainbow Pool Other Capitol Reflecting Pool Immaculate Conception Basilica Ford 's Theatre Petersen House Healy Hall Islamic Center Jefferson Pier John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Library of Congress National Arboretum National Building Museum National Gallery of Art Lincoln 's Cottage at Soldiers ' Home Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool National Archives Newseum National Cathedral National Mall Old Post Office Pavilion Old Stone House Smithsonian Institution The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace Tidal Basin Treasury Building Tudor Place Union Station United States Capitol United States Supreme Court Building White House Willard Hotel Parks and plazas Constitution Gardens Dupont Circle East Potomac Park Freedom Plaza Lafayette Square L'Enfant Plaza Meridian Hill Park National Arboretum Pershing Park Rock Creek Park The Ellipse United States Botanic Garden West Potomac Park Boundaries Anacostia River Arlington Memorial Bridge Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Constitution Avenue Francis Scott Key Bridge Pennsylvania Avenue Potomac River Zero Milestone Planned Adams Memorial Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial General Francis Marion Memorial Gold Star Mothers Monument National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial National Liberty Memorial Peace Corps Monument World War I Related National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission National Mall and Memorial Parks List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C. National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Public art in Washington, D.C. ( Outdoor sculpture, American Revolution Statuary, Civil War Monuments, commemorating African - Americans ) Potomac River system Cities and towns Bridges Islands Tributaries Variant names District of Columbia Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia West Virginia Streams shown as : Major tributaries subtributaries ( subsubtributaries ) ( subsubsubtributaries ) Tidal Potomac River Gulf Branch Donaldson Run Maddox Branch Windy Run Spout Run Foundry Branch Rock Creek Piney Branch Boundary Channel Tiber Creek Rocky Run Washington Channel Anacostia River Pope Branch Watts Branch Hickey Run Northwest Branch Sligo Creek Northeast Branch Paint Branch Four Mile Run Oxon Creek Hunting Creek Cameron Run Broad Creek Henson Creek Swan Creek Piscataway Creek Little Hunting Creek Dogue Creek Accotink Creek Daniels Run Pohick Creek Pomonkey Creek Occoquan River Bull Run Broad Run Cedar Run Neabsco Creek Powell Creek Mattawoman Creek Chicamuxen Creek Quantico Creek Little Creek Chopawamsic Creek Tank Creek Aquia Creek Potomac Creek Accokeek Creek Nanjemoy Creek Port Tobacco River Popes Creek ( Maryland ) Gambo Creek Piccowaxen Creek Upper Machodoc Creek Cuckold Creek Wicomico River Monroe Creek Mattox Creek Popes Creek ( Virginia ) St. Marys River Yeocomico River Coan River Hull Creek Upper Potomac River North Branch Potomac River South Branch Potomac River Town Creek Little Cacapon River North Fork Little Cacapon River South Fork Little Cacapon River Fifteenmile Creek Sideling Hill Creek Cacapon River Lost River Trout Run Capon Springs Run Dillons Run Edwards Run Mill Branch North River ( Grassy Lick Run ) ( Tearcoat Creek ) ( Bearwallow Creek ) Sir Johns Run Warm Spring Run Tonoloway Creek Little Tonoloway Creek Sleepy Creek Meadow Branch Licking Creek Cherry Run Back Creek Hogue Creek Isaacs Creek Tilhance Creek Little Conococheague Creek Conococheague Creek Back Creek Opequon Creek Abrams Creek Mill Creek Middle Creek Tuscarora Creek ( West Virginia ) Antietam Creek Shenandoah River Little Catoctin Creek Catoctin Creek ( Virginia ) Catoctin Creek ( Maryland ) Tuscarora Creek ( Maryland ) Monocacy River Rock Creek Marsh Creek Alloway Creek Toms Creek ( Middle Creek ) Double Pipe Creek ( Big Pipe Creek ) ( Little Pipe Creek ) Owens Creek Tuscarora Creek Carroll Creek Linganore Creek Israel Creek Double Pipe Creek Bush Creek Ballenger Creek Bennett Creek Little Monocacy River Goose Creek Little River Broad Run ( Virginia ) Sugarland Run Broad Run ( Maryland ) Seneca Creek Dry Seneca Creek Little Seneca Creek ( Tenmile Creek ) Great Seneca Creek Difficult Run Cabin John Creek Dead Run Little Falls Branch Pimmit Run Rock Run Watts Branch Muddy Branch Shenandoah River North Fork Shenandoah River Cedar Creek Smith Creek South Fork Shenandoah River North River ( Middle River ) South River North Branch Potomac River Stony River Abram Creek Savage River Georges Creek Laurel Run New Creek Limestone Run Warrior Run Wills Creek Brush Creek Little Wills Creek Evitts Creek Patterson Creek Mill Creek Dans Run Green Spring Run South Branch Potomac River North Fork South Branch Potomac River Laurel Fork Mill Creek Seneca Creek South Fork South Branch Potomac River Kettle Creek Lunice Creek Mill Run Mill Creek Big Run Buffalo Creek Lakes and reservoirs Lake Accotink Lake Anne Lake Artemesia Lake Bernard Frank Lake Braddock Breckenridge Reservoir Brushy Fork Lake Burke Lake Dalecarlia Reservoir Georgetown Reservoir Jennings Randolph Lake Kingman Lake Little Seneca Lake McMillan Reservoir Mount Storm Lake Lake Needwood Sleepy Creek Lake Stony River Reservoir Tidal Basin Trout Pond Warden Lake This article incorporates public domain material from the National Park Service document `` http://www.nps.gov/nacc/pphtml/subnaturalfeatures19.html ''. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tidal_Basin&oldid=822200723 '' Categories : Chesapeake Bay watershed Historic American Engineering Record in Washington, D.C. Landmarks in Washington, D.C. Potomac River watershed Reservoirs in the District of Columbia Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from November 2008 All articles needing additional references Coordinates on Wikidata Wikipedia infobox body of water articles without image Lists of coordinates Geographic coordinate lists Articles with Geo Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the National Park Service Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Español Français עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Português Edit links This page was last edited on 25 January 2018, at 00 : 11. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who designed the tidal basin bridge in washington dc
Answer: Paul Cret