The Washington Channel is a channel that parallels the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

in Washington, D.C. It is located between the Southwest Waterfront on the east side and

East Potomac Park East Potomac Park is a park located on a man-made island in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., United States. The island is between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River, and on it the park lies southeast of the Jefferson Memorial and t ...

on the west side. The channel is long, receives outflow from the Tidal Basin at its north end, and empties into the

Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Poin ...

Hains Point Hains Point is located at the southern tip of East Potomac Park between the main branch of the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in southwest Washington, D.C.Map, National Mall Plan Study Area, Area of Potential Effect, United States Depart ...

at its south end. The channel's depth ranges from to . The Washington Channel's east bank is lined with restaurants, inns, and marinas including Washington Marina, Gangplank Marina (the only liveaboard marina in the District of Columbia), and Capital Yacht Club. The Maine Avenue Fish Market is situated at the north end of the channel, south of the 14th Street Bridge complex. The Women's ''Titanic'' Memorial,

Fort Lesley J. McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Channe ...

, the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

, and James Creek Marina are located near the south end of the channel. As of August 2010, USS ''Sequoia''—a former United States presidential yacht—is docked at a pier in the Washington Channel.

Transfer of responsibility

On June 16, 2010, District of Columbia

Delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (Unit ...

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, representing the District of Columbia since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Ea ...

introduced a bill (H.R. 5545) into the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

during the

111th United States Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

that would have transferred responsibility for part of the Washington Channel from the Army Corps of Engineers to the District.Bill summary and status at

THOMAS Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

: The House passed the bill on July 20, 2010. The

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning environmental protection and resource conservation and util ...

received the bill on the following day. Norton's bill was part of a larger plan to redevelop the Southwest Waterfront, some goals of which are "to extend docks and increase maritime activity just a short eyeshot from the U.S. Capitol building.". The

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

, the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, and the Army Corps of Engineers agreed that this transfer "will not affect navigation interests or adversely affect navigation safety." The area under consideration extended from the north end of the Channel to just south of the police pier, totaling of water Crossings However, the Senate did not pass the legislation. Delegate Norton reintroduced the bill into the House of Representatives on February 15, 2011, during the

112th United States Congress The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 ...

. The 2011 bill (H.R. 723) was incorporated into H.R. 2297 (To promote the development of the Southwest waterfront in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes), which became

Public Law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

112-143 (126 Stat. 990 - 126 Stat. 992) after

President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

signed it on July 9, 2012.

Crossings

* Tidal Basin Outlet Bridge carrying

Ohio Drive Ohio Drive is a street in Southwest Washington, D.C., located in East and West Potomac Parks and bordering the Tidal Basin, Washington Channel, and the Potomac River. It is a central organizing feature of East Potomac Park, providing the only m ...

* Washington Channel Bridge carrying 14th Street/

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

RF&P Subdivision The RF&P Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation. It runs from Washington, D.C., to Richmond, Virginia, over lines previously owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. ...

rail bridge * Francis Case Memorial Bridge carrying Interstate 395 *

Washington Metro The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,Google Books search/preview

Yellow Line tunnel

References

External links

NOAA Nautical Chart 12289NOAA Tides and Currents – Washington Channel station
{{Coord, 38, 52, 16.9, N, 77, 1, 14.9, W, display=title Anacostia River Chesapeake Bay watershed Potomac River watershed Bodies of water of Washington, D.C. Channels of the United States Southwest (Washington, D.C.)