Georgetown Waterfront Park

Current & Annual Events Near Georgetown Waterfront Park

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:36:41 +0000

This post contains information on annual events near Georgetown Waterfront Park. We will update the dates and brochures annually as new ones become available. Forthcoming events include the latest information available.

Ongoing Events

Rowing Community Races Ahead in Washington

Garrett Faulkner in an article in The Georgetowner 10/21/09 gives a great feel for what drives the rowers who are out there before sunrise: Rowing Community Races Ahead in Washington. The author was out there with the rowers at 4:55am and interviews rowers from Potomac Boat Club as well as Thompson Boat Center.

Boot Camp

In an article, Guerilla Fitness, in the New York Social Diary, Carol Joynt discusses ongoing boot camp early morning exercise run by various organizations in and around Georgetown Waterfront Park. “One morning it might be the Georgetown Waterfront Park for core work, including walloping a tire with a sledge hammer, another day a quiet back alley, Cady’s Alley, for medicine ball, agility, and speed drills, another day the waterfront Swedish Embassy for upper and lower torso work with box jumps, push ups, dips and squats.”

Forthcoming Events

Annual Events

Scullers Head of the Potomac

In 2009, this regatta hosted by Potomac Boat Club took place on Sunday, September 27 9am-5pm . The boat–launching can be seen both at the the Potomac Boat Club and at partnering Thompson Boat Center where most of the crews visiting from out of town will launch their shells. This is the major rowing race on the Potomac in the fall season and features all kinds of rowing craft from single to eight-person shells, and competitors from high school and college through the oldest masters men and women, as well as many elite rowers. Close to 250 boats are registered so there is plenty to watch.

The starting line is up-river near the “hens and chickens” rocks and the course follows the river’s contours ending to the Roosevelt Bridge, generally hugging the Virginia shore. The distance is about 3 miles. The Park offers good views of the rowers in their last push to the finish line For good close-up views from the Waterfront Park, a good pair of binoculars is an asset. Cheering is very welcome to all the competitors and motivates them to work harder so feel free to cheer. For more details, please consult the 29th Annual Charlie Butt Scullers brochure.

Taste of Georgetown – Saturday, October 10 2009 – Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW – 11am-4pm

The annual Taste of Georgetown showcases the spectacular cuisine of thirty of Washington, D.C.’s finest restaurants, highlighting Georgetown’s culinary personalities and featuring nearly sixty delectable dishes to sample, as well as wine pairings and the jazz talents of Blues Alley. As the sixteenth annual celebration of food, wine, and music, the Taste of Georgetown has become the premier food and wine festival of D.C. benefiting GMC’s services supporting the homeless.

Streamgage Potomac River at Georgetown

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:28:12 +0000

There is a streamgage at the upstream end of Georgetown Waterfront Park operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service. (See photos below.) The Georgetown streamgage measures the height (stage) of the river. USGS streamgage data are used for flood forecasting, stormwater management, tidal monitoring, climate change studies, bridge design, water resource assessment, water quality studies, stream restoration, and recreations. Users include federal, state and local governments, consultants and engineering firms, universities, and interested citizens such as fishermen, kayakers and boaters. The USGS operates a national network of about 7,000 streamgages throughout the United States. The graphic shows their locations in the Potomac River Watershed in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Potomac River through Washington DC contains freshwater, but the levels rise and fall under the influence of the ocean tides in Chesapeake Bay, located some 112 miles (180 km) downstream. The head-of-tide in the river is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) further upstream near the western boundary of the District of Columbia. Because of the tide water moves both upstream and downstream, the Georgetown streamgage is used only for measuring the height or stage of the river, and does not measure flow. The nearest flow-measuring streamgage on the Potomac River is located 5 miles (8 km) upstream at LIttle Falls Dam.

The data for the Georgetown streamgage can be accessed in real time on the internet at the USGS National Water Information System. . You can also access the flow measurements from Little Falls at USGS National Water Information Systems. Together, these two streamgages, and several more located upstream, are crucial to providing flood warnings for Washington, for managing the drinking water supply for the metropolitan area, monitoring the movement of pollution towards Chesapeake Bay, and managing habitat for the fish in the Potomac River. Please visit the USGS web site for more information.

Streamgage Canister of end of GWP at 34th Street

Reference Point for Streamgage

Plants and Shrubs

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:43:33 +0000

The photos below are of just a few of the plants and shrubs in the park and rain gardens.

Possum Haw Vibernum

Possom Haw Vibernum

In Rain Garden #1 at foot of Wisconsin, Joe Pye Weed and Purple Lovegrass

Rain Garden #1 with Purple Lovegrass and Joe Pye Weed

Butterfly Milkweed in Rain Garden #2

Butterfly Milkweed (and storm drain - Rain Garden #2

Moonberry Coreopis on side of pedestrian walkway.

Moonberry Coreopis near pedestrian walkway

Rain Gardens

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:31:33 +0000

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Near the foot of Wisconsin Avenue as you stroll in the park, you’ll find Rain Garden #1.

Rain Garden at the foot of Wisconsin Avenue

There are three rain gardens in Georgetown Waterfront Park, planted depressions which allow storm water to soak into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains and surface waters which can cause erosion, water pollution, flooding and diminish the amount of groundwater. The rain gardens contain shrubs, plants and grasses including Joe Pye Weed, Little Blue Stem, New England Aster, Upright Sedge, Little Henry Sweet-Spire, Arrowroot Viburnum and Butterfly Milkweed (and the many others).

Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they generally don’t require fertilizer and are more tolerant of one’s local climate, soil, and water conditions. The Georgetown Waterfront Park rain gardens contain a selection of wetland edge vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges, rushes, shrubs and small trees, which take up excess water flowing into the rain garden. Water filters through soil layers before entering the groundwater system. Root systems enhance infiltration, moisture redistribution, and diverse microbial populations involved in bio-filtration. Also, through the process of transpiration, rain garden plants return water vapor into the atmosphere.

Raingarden plantings

Rain Garden #2 plants detail

Rain Garden #2 after 1.4 inches of rain 09/27/09

For more information on rain gardens see Wikipedia.

Labyrinth

admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:46:02 +0000

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The labyrinth in GWP was provided by the TKF Foundation, a private grant-making foundation whose purpose is to create “Open Spaces, Sacred Places”. It partners with organizations to create sacred places which increase a sense of community and contribute to a deepening of human connections. These sacred places foster the development of human spirituality and are open and accessible to people of all beliefs, faiths and cultures. TKF is located in Annapolis, Maryland and its funding is focused in the geographic areas of Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland and Washington, DC. They also provided the teak bench with the diary for the public to write their thoughts in. Both are pictured below.

A Space for Meditation and Healing

Contemplative Bench near Labyrinth with book for comments

The labyrinth has a long history. See Wikipedia’s discussion of the labyrinth.

Bioengineered edge

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:06:53 +0000

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The bioengineered edge is a stabilized bank which utilizes reinforced soil and native plants to not only hold the shore line in place but also to help clean the water as it runs off into the river. The design uses a sheet pile wall at the bottom to hold the edge in place and then steps back horizontally as it rises above the water level. Each step back incorporates a “geogrid” which is really just a net-like reinforcing filled with soil which keeps the soil in place but allows water to pass through it. The soil is then planted with native plant species such as “sweet pepper,” hydrangea, winterberry, mountain laurel, and arrowwood viburnum.

In different seasons, the bioedge gives a very different feel. Below are three photos: the first a detail of the plants in July, the second looking upriver in early summer and the last from the early spring,

Plants Bioengineered Edge - Detail

Bioengineered Ege looking upriver toward the Key Bridge

Bioengineered Edge Spring 2009

Overlooks with Etched Photos of Historic Georgetown

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:56:26 +0000

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Georgetown’s once thriving commercial waterfront lined with wharfs and sea-going vessels and later industrial plants is captured by three large photo-etched panels on three overlooks. The material shown below is an artist’s rendering of the etched photos.

While the granite slabs with the etched photos are installed in the park, they are currently covered up with protective rubber blankets and bricks to prevent further skate board damage while skate board deterrents can be installed. For obvious reasons, skate boards should NOT be used except on paved pathways.

Overlook #1 is of the Port of Georgetown – 1870-1970
Port of Georgetown 1870-1970

Overlook #2 shows the Bridges of Georgetown.
Bridges of Georgetown

Overlook #3 has two components: 3a is the first Georgetowners; 3b shows historic Georgetown. Georgetowners/Historic Georgetown