The D.C. Silver Jackets is an interagency team comprised of members from federal, District of Columbia and regional agencies, as well as academia. This team leverages resources to identify and implement comprehensive, resilient, and sustainable solutions to reduce flood risk around the District and to assist local communities. Flood risk management is critical in the District, as there are three types of flooding that can impact low areas of the city: river; coastal storm surge; and interior.

The District formalized its Silver Jackets team in 2014 through an interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (pdf 1.1 MB) currently signed by 13 federal and District agencies. However, the full team extends well beyond these agencies. The D.C. Silver Jackets team first began meeting in April of 2012 as the Potomac River Flood Coordination Group. The Department of Energy and Environment is the lead agency for the District. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District and the National Park Service jointly lead the federal agencies.

The D.C. Silver Jackets has established various task groups that can change over time: Flood Emergency Planning; Federal Triangle Area Flooding; DC Levee; Flood Risk Outreach and Watts Branch Flood Risk Management. Each task group has respective responsibilities that will aid in fulfilling the team's mission and goals.

In fall 2016, Connecting Delta Cities welcomed Washington as its newest official city member, joining 12 other cities, including Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, Rotterdam, Venice, New York City and New Orleans. "These cities are the world's front runners, sharing knowledge and experience to keep their cities safe and livable. They are connected by a common goal: a climate-proof, resilient future for their residents and businesses." - CDC. The goal of CDC is to develop a network of delta cities that are active in the field of climate-change-related development, water management and adaptation in order to exchange knowledge and share best practices (like the DC Silver Jackets) to support development of adaptation strategies.

DC Levee System and Flood Preparedness Public Outreach

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Park Service hosted a public meeting the evening of Oct. 30, 2018 in Southwest D.C. to share information with attendees on the results of a safety risk assessment completed for the District of Columbia Levee System, also referred to as the Potomac Park Levee. D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency also presented on flood preparedness measures for property and business owners/renters and evacuation procedures. The purpose of this meeting was to improve the public's understanding of flood risk in the area as well as to educate residents and businesses on steps they can take to prepare for and reduce damages from flooding. This meeting was held as part of a nationwide effort the Corps is leading to individually assess levees across the nation to determine their safety risks and present this information to the public. The information that goes into a risk assessment includes how often the area may flood; the condition of the levee system; and the population and development (including critical infrastructure) at risk behind the levee system.

Public Meeting Materials

• District of Columbia Levee System Summary (pdf, 114 KB)
• DC Levee Risk Communication PowerPoint Presentation* (pdf, 6.1 MB)
• What is Flood Risk? (pdf, 1 MB)

*Click on the yellow comment icon on upper lefthand side of presentation slides to view notes.

Federal Triangle Area Flooding

The DC Silver Jackets initiated an interagency project in FY18 to re-engage stakeholders and determine a path forward for reducing the flood risk.  The Federal Triangle, which is comprised of federal and district buildings, experienced severe flooding and millions of dollars in damages in the June 2006 flood and then flooded again in July 2019. Some flood studies have been completed, however, the recommended solutions are costly and no agencies have moved forward with a comprehensive project. The intent of this project is to bring the myriad of stakeholders together to understand the flood risk, strategize potential innovative solutions, and determine a path forward for further study and design.

Two Federal Triangle Area Flood Workshops were held at the University of the District of Columbia, on June 6 and September 5, 2018 (see links to summary report and presentations below). The intent of the first workshop was to provide attendees with an overview of the flood history and risk in the Federal Triangle; discuss steps individual agencies are taking to flood proof their properties; present on types of interior flood risk management measures; and engage on key opportunities and challenges related to interior flooding in the area. The second workshop focused on potential flood risk management solutions.

In May 2019, the key stakeholder agency leaders met to discuss the results of the two workshops and to decide on a path forward.  The agency leaders showed support for moving forward collectively with studying comprehensive solutions to the flooding problem.  They committed to support several short-term tasks by providing data and personnel and agreed to work towards scoping and funding strategies for a longer-term feasibility study.

Following the leadership meeting, the DC Silver Jackets team hosted an interagency charrette on February 21, 2020 with key public agency stakeholders with facility management and/or operational responsibilities to further evaluate the flood risk management alternatives. The charrette summary and presentation is below.

Federal Triangle Area Flood Workshops

• Federal Triangle Workshops Final Report

June 6, 2018 Workshop Presentations

• Federal Triangle Workshop 1 Summary (pdf, 1.3 MB)
• Workshop 1 Agenda (pdf, 761 KB)
• Federal Triangle Overview by National Capital Planning Commission (pdf, 10.1 MB)
• DC's Flood History by National Weather Service (pdf, 16.6 MB)
• Federal Triangle Flood Risk by DC Water and Sewer Authority (pdf, 2.2 MB)
• Panel Facilities: Smithsonian Institution (pdf, 3.3 MB)
• Panel Facilities: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (pdf, 4.6 MB)
• Panel Facilities: National Archives and Records Administration (pdf, 1.5 MB)
• Panel Facilities: National Gallery of Art (pdf, 2.4 MB)
• Panel Facilities: General Services Administration (pdf, 9.7 MB)
• Types of Interior Flood Risk Management Measures (pdf, 2.7 MB)
• Stream Restoration Project in Cheonggyecheon by Seoul Metropolitan Government (pdf, 6.5 MB)
• Federal Triangle Drainage Area Map (pdf, 17.7 MB)
• Federal Triangle Flood Area and Imagery (pdf, 4.3 MB)

September 5, 2018 Workshop Presentations

• Federal Triangle Workshop 2 Summary (pdf, 1.0 MB)
• Workshop 2 Agenda (pdf, 0.6 MB)
• DC Water: Federal Triangle Stormwater Drainage Study, Flood Risk Mitigation Alternatives (pdf, 4.0 MB)
• National Mall Coalition:National Mall Underground (pdf, 16 MB)
• Ramboll: Integrated Resiliency Planning (pdf, 10.2 MB)
• Karolina Kawiaka: Restoring the Role of the Tiber Creek, Flood Adaptation for the Federal Triangle (pdf, 4.8 MB)
• District of Columbia "Potomac Park" Levee Risk Communication (pdf, 6.3 MB)
• HSEMA: DC Hazard Mitigation (pdf, 0.2 MB)

• Federal Triangle Flood Area and Imagery (pdf, 4.3 MB)

Federal Triangle Area Flood Charrette, February 21, 2020

• Federal Triangle Area Flood Charrette Summary Report (pdf, 3.06 MB)
• Federal Triangle Area Flood Charrette Presentation (pdf, 7.45 MB)

Washington D.C. and Vicinity Local Flood Risk Management Project

The D.C. Silver Jackets team prioritized ensuring the coordination and completion of the "17th Street closure" in Washington, D.C. The 17th Street closure structure is situated between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, and it reduces risk to human safety and critical infrastructure in downtown District of Columbia from flooding of the Potomac River. It was constructed and is regulated by the Corps of Engineers, and is operated and maintained by the National Park Service. The 17th Street closure is a removable structure that can be erected in the event of high water to attach to the floodwalls on both sides of 17th Street and consists of aluminum panels between steel posts. Stone cladding application on the 17th Street floodwall was designed to blend in with the historic landscape of the National Mall. The closure is part of the District of Columbia Levee System, also referred to as the Potomac Park Levee, and the Washington, D.C. and Vicinity Local Flood Protection Project. The Army Corps is evaluating raising the height of the Potomac Park Levee.

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Online Mapping Tools Show Predicted Flooding Along Potomac and Anacostia Rivers

The D.C. Silver Jackets Team developed an online flood inundation mapping tool project that help government leaders, emergency managers, and the public better predict flood impacts during high-water events in the D.C. metropolitan area. This tool provides two sets of maps: one that shows predicted riverine flooding along the Potomac River; and another that shows predicted tidal/storm surge flooding along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. The tool is housed on the National Weather Service website.

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2016 DC Flood Summit

More than 150 experts gathered to discuss flooding in our nation's capital at Gallaudet University, Sept. 8, 2016, marking the first flood summit of its kind in Washington. The summit, which was organized by the D.C. Silver Jackets, occurred the week of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Fran that engulfed Washington in 1996.

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Watts Branch Flood Risk Management Study

The D.C. Silver Jackets is conducting a flood risk management study for neighborhoods along Watts Branch, which is a tributary of the Anacostia River, in the northeast corner of the District of Columbia. These neighborhoods are in a special flood-hazard area (within the 100-year floodplain) and consist of high-density residential and non-residential structures and critical infrastructure with vulnerable populations, including a public housing development. These high-risk flood zone areas will likely expand even further considering the effects of climate change.

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