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Blue Current DC was developed in response to a competition calling for strategies to protect the tidal basin from flooding associated with climate change. The monuments and parks that make up the national mall are vulnerable to storm surge, sea level rise, and flooding from stormwater runoff, but these areas also contain also contains many of our Nation’s treasures. Blue Current DC is a holistic solution comprised of a series of linked strategies that combat climate change and improve the landscape. The design protects along the water’s edge, collects stormwater within the site, directs floodwater away from the system toward the natural waterbodies, and most importantly, connects people to their environment. A large-diameter stormwater pipe, within a flood protection berm, makes up its backbone, winding through the site as a highly visible piece of conveyance infrastructure, providing a base for a bike path along its top. Through its course, the Blue Current takes several forms to address location-specific flood threats, adapting to the existing landscape while bringing additional benefits to the city. The resilient path provides a new route and a new perspective for visitors to the tidal basin. Wetland plants and a naturalized edge provide filtration and enhance the water quality of the Potomac during wet and dry conditions.
“There is nothing inevitable about the worst impacts [of climate change]on people and nature We have to re-frame climate change as an exciting challenge for the most creative minds� - Roger Harrabin- B.B.C.
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“By the end of this century, as sea levels rise, as much as $7 billion worth of property in the District will routinely be threatened by storm-driven floodwaters”
- Lori Montgomery, The Washington Post
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• 26 EPA listed sites • 4 military facilities • 2,500 acres of land • 46 miles of roads • 1,900 homes • 4,833 people • The National Mall...
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Use a comprehensive system-wide approach that acknowledges the context and complexity of the National Mall and protect the city and its national treasures through both structural and social measures.
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Capture, slow, and retain surge water during storm events with a large scale and regenerative network that cleans and distributes water while re-establishing a connection to the city and natural environment.
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Transform the utilitarian stormwater infrastructure into a network of public urban interventions and edge conditions along the water that are resilient and can adapt between public use and storm infrastructure.
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The system creates additional value through new resilient pathways and a system to generate power using the movement of water ensuring the city remains connected even during an emergency.
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Levees along the Potomac prevent the Potomac from overflowing and flooding the National Mall and Tidal Basin
After the storm passes water can slowly be fed through underground pipes, filtered naturally by wetlands and into the Potomac
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Retention areas created at natural low points around the monuments capture and store rainwater run-off during a storm
Turbines powered by the moving water generate electricity helping keep emergency lights on during and after the storm
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INTERVENTIONS
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LEVEE LANE: Hard infrastructure turned into an urban amenity, providing bike and pedestrian access to the National Mall and Tidal Basin even in wet conditions.
BERMS AND SWALES: By modifying the topography the landscape takes on a major role during a storm both as a defense system on the high points or as retention basins in low areas.
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BC TRAIL: An elevated bike and pedestrian path that houses a storm drain pipe used for holding water during storms and discharging water from retention basins when the storm has passed.
MONUMENTAL EDGE: Edge conditions at specific sections of the Tidal Basin are improved to protect the monuments, while the interventions on along the Potomac act as a first barrier of defense.
WETLANDS AND MARGINS: Soft stepped landscape and wetlands are introduced along the edges of the Potomac and Tidal Basin. Changing the hard edge conditions allows for a better way to experience the water while providing a natural filter for storm runoff at discharge points.
WATER WALK: An elevated bike and pedestrian trail enhancing and making more accessible the water’s edge to create a more scenic experience for pedestrians and cyclists as well as for kayaks and paddleboats.
BC TRAIL: An elevated bike and pedestrian path that houses a storm drain pipe used for holding water during storms and discharging water from retention basins when the storm has passed. LEVEE LANE: Hard infrastructure turned into an urban amenity, providing bike and pedestrian access to the National Mall and Tidal Basin even in wet conditions.
Blue Current DC uses the existing LucidPipe Power System to harness moving stormwater during and after a storm event to capture energy and generate a resilient power source during emergency situations
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During normal weather conditions the Blue Current trail will be a pedestrian and bike path connecting all of the monuments along the National Mall and Tidal Basin into a route that’s easy to follow and visually engaging for visitors and residents alike.
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After a major storm event the Blue Current trail will remain an accessible route through the city and the retention areas will become a new and dynamic landscape, transforming the typical visitor experience into a visible expression of the trail’s important purpose.
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LEVEE LANE: Hard infrastructure turned into an urban amenity, providing bike and pedestrian access to the National Mall and Tidal Basin even in wet conditions. WETLANDS AND MARGINS: Soft stepped landscape and wetlands are introduced along the edges of the Potomac and Tidal Basin. Changing the hard edge conditions allows for a better way to experience the water while providing a natural filter for storm runoff at discharge points.
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MONUMENTAL EDGE: Edge conditions at specific sections of the Tidal Basin are improved to protect the monuments, while the interventions on along the Potomac act as a first barrier of defense. WETLANDS AND MARGINS: Soft stepped landscape and wetlands are introduced along the edges of the Potomac and Tidal Basin. Changing the hard edge conditions allows for a better way to experience the water while providing a natural filter for storm runoff at discharge points.
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BERMS AND SWALES: By modifying the topography the landscape takes on a major role during a storm both as a defense system on the high points or as retention basins in low areas. BC TRAIL: An elevated bike and pedestrian path that houses a storm drain pipe used for holding water during storms and discharging water from retention basins when the storm has passed.
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WATER WALK: An elevated bike and pedestrian trail enhancing and making more accessible the water’s edge to create a more scenic experience for pedestrians and cyclists as well as for kayaks and paddleboats. WETLANDS AND MARGINS: Soft stepped landscape and wetlands are introduced along the edges of the Potomac and Tidal Basin. Changing the hard edge conditions allows for a better way to experience the water while providing a natural filter for storm runoff at discharge points.
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BLUE CURRENT DC GENERATES: 4.5 miles of New/Enhanced Bike Trails 100+ Acres of Renovated Park Space 2.5 miles of Naturalized Shorelines Protection from 500-year Flood Events Emergency Lighting uses the existing LucidPipe Power System
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