Canal Park

Canal Park is an award-winning, 3-acre neighborhood-centric park that serves as a model of sustainable design for an outdoor space. Built on the site of a former school bus parking lot in southeast Washington, the park occupies three linear blocks in the Navy Yard neighborhood, near the Navy Yard and Nationals Park. The name comes from a rediscovered, historic canal that used to connect the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

The park contains several innovative water features:

• Stormwater collection and re-use system: Stormwater that falls on site and adjacent properties is collected and treated through bio-retention, ultraviolet disinfection and filtration system which removes 100% of biological pollutants. Collected stormwater then meets up to 95% of the park’s needs for irrigation, its ice rink and fountain, saving an estimated 1.5 million gallons per year.
• Rain gardens & bio-retention tree pits: Rain gardens, which when Canal Park was constructed were not commonly used, run along the eastern edge of the park, and captured rain is subsequently filtered and re-used. 46 bio-retention tree pits also filter out contaminants.
• Cisterns: Two underground cisterns hold 80,000 gallons of water, in addition to roughly 8,500 gallons which can be held by the rain gardens.
• Ice rink and water features: The ice rink and 42-jet fountain splash park are among the most popular aspects of the park – and their water needs are met entirely by stormwater.

Since opening in 2012, Canal Park has become a gathering point for the neighborhood. The park is home to seasonal markets and events, dancing fountains in the warmer months, and ice skating in the winter. The park features sculptures by DC artist David Hess and an interactive light cube that displays video and photographic art. Located on site is Wiseguys Pizza, Khins Sushi and Altani Gelato.

Canal Park won the Washington Business Journal’s awards for Best Real Estate Deal of the Year and Best Community Impact Real Estate. It also won the American Institute of Architects/DC Chapter Design Award, the Best of the Best Landscape/Urban Design Award from Engineering New Record and was a finalist for the Urban Land Institute’s Open Space Award. The Landscape Contractors Association gave Canal Park its Grand Award for Commercial Maintenance and the National Association of Landscape Professionals gave it the Grand Award for Excellence. It is certified LEED Gold.