Georgetown Canal Plan Finding of No Significant Impact

The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Georgetown Heritage, Georgetown Business Improvement District, and the District of Columbia, prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to assess alternatives and the potential environmental impacts associated with implementation of the of the Georgetown Canal Plan (the Plan). The Plan will revitalize portions of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal NHP) and Rock Creek Park within the Georgetown neighborhood of the District of Columbia. The Plan proposes enhancements to the one-mile-long segment of the Canal that passes between Lock One (approximately 28th Street NW) and the Potomac Aqueduct Bridge Abutment and Pier (the Potomac Aqueduct) (approximately 36th Street NW) and the one-third-mile-long segment of Rock Creek Park between the Canal and Potomac River known as the Tide Lock.

The project is needed because I) Portions of the Towpath are uneven, narrow, and poorly lit, creating potential safety hazards; 2) Visitors with limited mobility can only access the Towpath from Grace Street NW (south of the Canal). 3) Many access points to the Towpath are not readily visible or are unknown due to lack of signage; 4) The C&O Canal NHP desires to expand opportunities for interpretation, education, and cultural programming; 5) The C&O Canal NHP has limited amenities and facilities for visitor comfort such as seating, drinking fountains, and rest rooms; and 6) Several plazas along the Canal are underutilized and could be developed to provide additional recreational activities.

The EA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of I 969 (NEPA); the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing NEPA ( 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500-1508); and NPS Director's Order (DO) 12: Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision-Making. The statements and conclusions reached in this finding of no significant impact (FONSI) are based on documentation and analysis provided in the EA and associated decision file.

Document Content:

Georgetown Canal Plan EA - FONSI   (55.8 MB, PDF file) Georgetown Canal Plan Programmatic Agreement   (13.2 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.