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McMillan Sand Filtration Site

Buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.History of Washington, D.C.
McMillan Sand Filtration
McMillan Sand Filtration

McMillan Sand Filtration Site is a twenty-five acre decommissioned water treatment plant in northwest Washington, D.C., built as part of the historic McMillan Reservoir Park. It is bound on the north by Michigan Avenue, on the east by North Capitol Street, on the south by Channing Street and on the west by McMillan Drive; which runs along the edge of the reservoir, to which it was formerly attached. Two paved courts lined by regulator houses, tower-like sand bins, sand washers and the gated entrances to the underground filter cells provided a promenade for citizens taking the air in the park before it was fenced off in WWII. Below grade, there are twenty catacomb-like cells, each an acre in extent, where sand was used to filter water from the Potomac River by way of the Washington Aqueduct. The purification system was a slow sand filter design that became obsolete by the late 20th century. In 1985, a new rapid sand filter plant replaced it across First Street beside the reservoir. The treatment system is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Public access to the site has been restricted since World War II, when the Army erected a fence to guard against sabotage of the city's water supply. Until recently, specially arranged biannual tours were arranged for scores of visitors curious about the odd-looking structures. The site was never reopened to the public on the same basis as before the war. In 1991, the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board designated McMillan Park a Historic Landmark and nominated the site for the National Register of Historic Places. It included the site on their "List of Most Endangered Properties in 2000" and again in 2005.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article McMillan Sand Filtration Site (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

McMillan Sand Filtration Site
Michigan Avenue Northwest, Washington

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N 38.924472222222 ° E -77.010472222222 °
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McMillan Sand Filtration Site

Michigan Avenue Northwest
20422 Washington
District of Columbia, United States
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McMillan Sand Filtration
McMillan Sand Filtration
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Trinity Washington University

Trinity Washington University is a private university in Washington, D.C. affiliated with the Catholic Church. Trinity is a comprehensive university with five schools; the undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences maintains its original mission as a liberal arts women's college, while men attend Trinity's other schools at both the graduate and undergraduate level. The university was founded as Trinity College by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1897 as the nation's first Catholic liberal arts college for women. Trinity was chartered by an Act of Congress on August 20, 1897. An elite institution in its early life, the college faced declining enrollment by the 1980s. It chose to begin recruiting local underprivileged students, and became predominantly black and Hispanic. Trinity became Trinity Washington University in 2004. Today, Trinity Washington University enrolls more than 1,800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing and Health Professions, School of Education, School of Business and Graduate Studies and School of Professional Studies. Trinity enrolls more District of Columbia residents than any other private university in the city and in the nation – more than half of Trinity’s students are residents of the D.C. Trinity’s student body in 2020 includes about 95% ethnic minorities, including about 65% Black/African American and 30% Latina/Hispanic. Trinity is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Minority Serving Institution and is the only university in the D.C. region, and one of only a few in the nation, designated as both a Predominantly Black Institution and Hispanic Serving Institution.