WASHINGTON 鈥� A 14-foot wall along the Anacostia River in D.C.’s Navy Yard could potentially become a staple in the fast-growing neighborhood, Bloomberg reports. The Navy is considering whether to build a wall to protect against rising sea levels 鈥� a growing threat in Navy Yard and the D.C. region, despite the Trump administration’s dismissals of climate change.
Documents obtained by Bloomberg reveal military engineers proposed a 1.5 mile long wall, designed to protect about three dozen buildings. It could cost as much as $20 million, according to the news source. While the wall would protect the immediate area, it could raise the risk of flooding for surrounding areas.
Sea levels are predicted to rise between 4 and 6.4 feet in the D.C. area by the end of the century, the . If the Navy doesn’t take any preventive measures, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling could lose up to 50 percent of its land.
In any given year, there is a 10 percent chance of a “10-year storm,” which would cause 7-feet of flooding in Navy Yard, Bloomberg found in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command document. A “100-year storm” would bring 10.5 feet of flooding and a “500-year storm” would bring 14 feet.
If preventive measures are not taken, the Navy Yard will see more frequent and damaging tidal floods, an increase in the severity of storm-driven floods and a loss of land that is currently being used.
Navy Yard is a fast-growing area, having made a Forbes list of coolest neighborhoods in the world in 2018.
The D.C. Department of Energy and Environment provides聽 showing the vulnerable position of the Naval facilities in D.C.
