Evening star., 1937-05-03
FINAL D. C.FL00D
PROGRAM RUSHED
NEARCOMPLET|0N
Army Engineers Ready to
Begin Work as Soon as
Funds Are Available.
NAVY AND MUNITIONS
LEVEE TO BE RAISED
Other Aims Call for Rise in
Ground Level at Lincoln and
Washington Shrines.

Army engineers are whipping into
final shape permanent f1ood-control
plans for the Capital, according to
Maj. Walter D. Luplow, War Depart
ment district engineer for the Wash
ington area, and as soon as Congress
makes funds available they can be
executed.
The principal measures, Maj Lup-
low said, will comprise raising the
permanent levee in the rear of the
Navy and Munitions Buildings three
feet, some raising of the grade in
the northerly section of the Lincoln
Memorial and further elevating the
grade Of the Washington Monument
grounds. At the northern side of
the existing levee, at the rear of the
two buildings, a retaining wall is to
b constructed, to save the automobile
parking spaces there The levee will
be carried in a straight line westerly
to the Lincoln Memorial
The existing levee is II feet above
average low water, and it will be
raised to 20 feet above the average tide
In the Potomac River. The top of the
levee in its revised form will be fat
also. so that if necessary sandbags
could be piled on top three feet higher
to meet any flood greater than those
experienced here previously, Maj.
LuploW declared. The new levee will
be sodded in keeping with the park
atmosphere. and the added grade in
the Washington Monument grounds
will be nodded to fit into the land
scape. and will not be obtrusive, he
said.
Sandbags to Close Gaps.
Then. when a major flood comes 1t
will be necessary only to close the
gaps in the driveway at the east end
Of the Navy Building and throw a
line Of sandbags across Seventeenth
street. Under existing plans no pro-
vision Is made for levee in the Rock
Creek and Potomac parkway, and
East Potomac Park will be permitted
to become inundated. the officials con-
sidering that damage there would be
minor. They are concerned mainly
with protecting buildings and valuable
Government records
John Nolen, jr, director Of PLAN
ming OF the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, pointed out
that his commission opposed the pro-
posed extension OF Independence ave-
nue westward into Potomac Park, con-
tending it would destroy too many ex-
isting natural features in the park.
The raising OF the grade of Inde-
pendence avenue was planned as
hood-control measure, but when pro-
1ected into the park this would have
been higher than the rest of the park
and become "misflt" in the present
scheme. Nolen said.
The commission felt that the pro-
lection needed in a food for the Gov
ernment buildings in the Triangle
and commercial buildings along lower
Pennsylvania avenue and the build
ings along Constitution avenue, would
come from the levee at the rear of
the Navy and Munitions Buildings.
Plans OF the Army Engineers to raise
the existing dixie have now been ap-
proved by the commission, according
to Nolen. The retaining wall to be
erected will not be visible from the re-
facfjrp rNon1 fo
rial, the director of planning said.
The Tourist Camp and East Po-
tomac Park will be permitted to be
flooded, Nolen said, as the cost of
protecting them is considered pro-
hibitive, contrasted with the rela-
lively low damage wrought there by
high waters. The Tourist Camp can
stand a flood Of second or third i'm
portance without the necessity of evac-
uation, Nolen said, citing last weeks
flood, when the cabins were not
affected, although water came up on
some of the highways.
The Rose Garden, Nolen pointed
out. can be protected by a small, local
embankment, as was done last week.
The dixie now under construction
In Anacostia Park is designed, Nolen
said, to protect the District tree
nursery. the Botanic Garden nursery.
old Boiling Field and the Naval Air
Station, but will not protect any of
the park areas. Any embankment
constructed along the Anacostia River
would interfere with the view of the
river from the road, or the highway
would have to be elevated, Nolen said
In that event the view of the rest of
the park would be shut off.
The District Government has raised
the grade Of F street southwest to pre-
vent flood waters from coming up old
Canal street. This has proven effective
acting as a dixie, Nolen said.
Officials said that all the plans in
the West Potomac Park area are sub
ject to change, if it be decided to
proceed with the construction of the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial at the
Tidal Basin site. That plan probably
would change the grades of existing