Kingman Lake Wetland Enhancement and Restoration Project

Kingman Lake is a 110-acre artificial lake located in the Anacostia River in Northeast and Southeast Washington, DC. Historically, the Anacostia River was used for the passage of trade vessels. By the 1850s, deforestation and agriculture resulted in large amounts of sediment deposited in the river. In 1920, the Anacostia River and adjacent wetlands were dredged by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to improve navigation within the river and the dredged material was used to fill existing freshwater tidal mudflats and wetlands to create Kingman Island and Heritage Island along the west side of the river. To further control flooding, the Anacostia River was straightened, and the remaining open water area west of man-made Kingman Island was name Kingman Lake. The lake is managed by the National Park Service as part of Anacostia Park.

The goals of this project to enhance and restore the Kingman Lake wetland include:
Restore habitat for American black duck, striped bass, American shad, river herring, and various freshwater mussel species​;
​Promote natural floodplain and fringe wetland reconnection​;
​Increase native submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds and freshwater mussel beds​;
​Provide nature-based solutions to minimize shoreline erosion​; and
​Provide resilience to climate change impacts.​

Contact Information

Ariel Trahan, DC DOEE, (202) 465-5749
Hannah Thomas, NPS, (202) 354-2206
Mikaila Milton, NPS, (202) 407-5267