FJ Sayers Dam Master Plan Revision / Media / News Stories

D.C. Drift Team Maintains Waterways and Century-Old Tidal Basin Gates

USACE, Baltimore District
Published Nov. 13, 2023
Updated: Oct. 24, 2023
Small Craft Operator Andy Boyle surveys the waters of the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, while on the way to the Tidal Basin gates in Washington, D.C. (USACE photo by Christopher Fincham) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers Drift Collection and Removal Unit operates out of dock facilities adjacent to the Washington, DC, Navy Yard and conducts drift removal operations on a year-round basis.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 5

Small Craft Operator Andy Boyle surveys the waters of the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, while on the way to the Tidal Basin gates in Washington, D.C. (USACE photo by Christopher Fincham) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers Drift Collection and Removal Unit operates out of dock facilities adjacent to the Washington, DC, Navy Yard and conducts drift removal operations on a year-round basis.

A view of the Washington Monument from below the Tidal Basin Inlet Bridge. (USACE photo by Christopher Fincham) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers Drift Collection and Removal Unit operates out of dock facilities adjacent to the Washington, DC, Navy Yard and conducts drift removal operations on a year-round basis. Their mission also includes the operation and maintenance of the inlet and outlet gates to the tidal basin, which is designed to prevent water stagnating in the tidal basin by allowing fresh water to flow in and out of the basin.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 2 of 5

A view of the Washington Monument from below the Tidal Basin Inlet Bridge. (USACE photo by Christopher Fincham) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers Drift Collection and Removal Unit operates out of dock facilities adjacent to the Washington, DC, Navy Yard and conducts drift removal operations on a year-round basis. Their mission also includes the operation and maintenance of the inlet and outlet gates to the tidal basin, which is designed to prevent water stagnating in the tidal basin by allowing fresh water to flow in and out of the basin.

Along with the automatic, inlet and outlet tidal gates, there are also heavier duty curtain gates that could be rolled up and down when needed. These “curtain gates” were designed to be mechanically raised and lowered with the help of heavy iron counter-weights. Though the curtain gates are no longer operational, the DC Drift team regularly inspects and performs maintenance on the inlet and outlet gates.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 3 of 5

Along with the automatic, inlet and outlet tidal gates, there are also heavier duty curtain gates that could be rolled up and down when needed. These “curtain gates” were designed to be mechanically raised and lowered with the help of heavy iron counter-weights. Though the curtain gates are no longer operational, the DC Drift team regularly inspects and performs maintenance on the inlet and outlet gates.

A view of the gates from outside the tidal basin. Along with the automatic, inlet and outlet tidal gates, there are also heavier duty curtain gates that could be rolled up and down when needed. These “curtain gates” were designed to be mechanically raised and lowered with the help of heavy iron counter-weights. Though the curtain gates are no longer operational, the DC Drift team regularly inspects and performs maintenance on the inlet and outlet gates. (USACE photos by Christopher Fincham)
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 4 of 5

A view of the gates from outside the tidal basin. Along with the automatic, inlet and outlet tidal gates, there are also heavier duty curtain gates that could be rolled up and down when needed. These “curtain gates” were designed to be mechanically raised and lowered with the help of heavy iron counter-weights. Though the curtain gates are no longer operational, the DC Drift team regularly inspects and performs maintenance on the inlet and outlet gates. (USACE photos by Christopher Fincham)

Along with the automatic, inlet and outlet tidal gates, there are also heavier duty curtain gates that could be rolled up and down when needed. These “curtain gates” were designed to be mechanically raised and lowered with the help of heavy iron counter-weights. Though the curtain gates are no longer operational, the DC Drift team regularly inspects and performs maintenance on the inlet and outlet gates.
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 5 of 5

Along with the automatic, inlet and outlet tidal gates, there are also heavier duty curtain gates that could be rolled up and down when needed. These “curtain gates” were designed to be mechanically raised and lowered with the help of heavy iron counter-weights. Though the curtain gates are no longer operational, the DC Drift team regularly inspects and performs maintenance on the inlet and outlet gates.

PRINT | E-MAIL

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers Drift Collection and Removal Unit operates out of dock facilities adjacent to the Washington, DC, Navy Yard and conducts drift removal operations on a year-round basis.

Known as "DC Drift," the mission covers 27 miles of waterways. USACE boat operators conduct routine patrols and respond to calls received from the Coast Guard, Navy, boat and marina operators, and private citizens.

Their mission also includes the operation and maintenance of the inlet and outlet gates to the tidal basin, which is designed to prevent water stagnating in the tidal basin by allowing fresh water to flow in and out of the basin.

The basin, constructed between 1882 and 1909, was designed to be a visual centerpiece and a means to flush out the Washington Channel. The reservoir releases 250-million gallons of water captured at high tide twice a day, flushing the channel free of sediments and impurities. The outlet bridge was completed in 1889 and the inlet bridge two decades later in 1909.