Drainage, Stormwater & Hardscape in Bloomingdale, DC
Drainage, stormwater, and hardscape for the Ward 5 rowhouse neighborhood the First Street Tunnel was built to protect
Get a QuoteActaeon designs and builds drainage, stormwater, and hardscape solutions for homes in Bloomingdale — the low-lying Ward 5 neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant, less than two miles north of the Capitol. After the summer-2012 storms overwhelmed the neighborhood's aging combined sewer and pushed backflow into basements, DC Water mined the First Street Tunnel directly beneath these streets to hold the overflow. On rowhouse lots that old and that flat, keeping water off the property is the whole job — so Actaeon regrades yards, sets French drains and downspout runs, and rebuilds retaining walls and patios that shed water away from the foundation. Actaeon is licensed and insured.
Why Bloomingdale floods — and what the First Street Tunnel changed
Bloomingdale sits in a low-lying area, at the foot of hills that extend to the north and east, and its topography is also shaped by the now-buried Tiber Creek — one branch of which generally followed what is now Flagler Place NW. That basin is the physical reason water collects here. In summer 2012, the stormwater drainage system was overwhelmed multiple times by particularly strong storms, flooding vehicles near the topographic basin at T Street NW and Rhode Island Avenue NW and sending sewer backflow into some basements. Four intense storms that season inflicted enough property damage that the city stood up a task force and DC Water launched a new study of causes and fixes.
The answer was a piece of infrastructure named for the neighborhood: the First Street Tunnel, mined successfully beneath Bloomingdale and completed in October 2016, built to hold an additional six million gallons of wastewater and stormwater during heavy rain events and designed to mitigate sewer flooding and basement backups in the District's historic and densely populated Bloomingdale neighborhood. It is a real relief valve — but it does not change what happens on an individual lot before the water ever reaches the sewer. That part is still a grading and drainage problem, and it is the part Actaeon handles. French drains, regrading, downspout extensions, and dry wells move rain off your property and away from the footing, so a house isn't relying on a century-old pipe to keep its basement dry.
A combined sewer, and what that means for the RiverSmart rebate
Bloomingdale is served by DC's combined sewer system, where rain and sanitary sewage share one undersized pipe — the same undersized sewers that have subjected the neighborhood to flooding during heavy rains for more than a century. When that line surcharges in a hard storm, water has nowhere to go but up, into streets and basements. Overflows from this system are managed downstream by the Northeast Boundary Tunnel, which completes all the CSO controls required for the Anacostia River, providing a 98% reduction in combined-sewer overflow volume in an average rainfall year; that tunnel was placed in operation on September 15, 2023.
The combined-sewer status also decides which incentives a Bloomingdale homeowner can actually use. DOEE's RiverSmart permeable-pavers and re-vegetation rebate — the one worth up to $6,000 — is not available here: no rebate funds are available for properties in the Combined Sewer System that are outside of Wards 7 and 8, and Bloomingdale is a CSS neighborhood in Ward 5. What does apply, regardless of sewershed, are the unrestricted pieces of the program — rain barrels, rain gardens, and RiverSmart Rewards. Confirm your own eligibility with DOEE by address before counting on any of it. Actaeon designs the drainage either way; the rebate just changes the paperwork, not the fix.
Permits in the District — no county office
Building and land-disturbance permits in the District are issued by the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) — there is no county permit office — with the Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) reviewing the stormwater side. Reach DOB at (202) 671-3500. Confirm the specific requirements for a retaining wall or grading project with DOB before work begins.
There's a second review layer here that most DC neighborhoods don't carry. Bloomingdale is a designated historic district: the DC Historic Preservation Review Board designated the Bloomingdale Historic District on July 26, 2018, covering a period of significance of 1891 to 1948, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 26 of that year. Because most of Bloomingdale's houses are Victorian-style rowhouses built around 1900 as single-family homes, exterior and visible work — a front walkway, a side-yard retaining wall, a paver surface facing the street — can fall under Historic Preservation Office review. We design hardscape and drainage that reads as belonging to the block, and we verify the permit path with DOB and HPO before a crew starts.
Hardscape built for century-old rowhouses
Houses built around 1900 come with age-related drainage problems that newer construction doesn't: grades that have settled over more than a hundred years, original downspouts still pointed straight at the foundation, and retaining walls that have outlived their mortar. Actaeon rebuilds and installs retaining walls, patios, walkways, and stone features, then regrades around them so water sheds off the lot instead of pooling against the house. On a Bloomingdale rowhouse, where the front yard is small and the grade is subtle, the drainage design and the hardscape design are the same design — done together, or the new patio just moves the puddle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bloomingdale homeowners get the $6,000 RiverSmart rebate?
No. DOEE's permeable-pavers and re-vegetation rebate — the one up to $6,000 — is not available to properties in the Combined Sewer System that sit outside Wards 7 and 8, and Bloomingdale is a combined-sewer neighborhood in Ward 5. Rain barrels, rain gardens, and RiverSmart Rewards still apply regardless of sewershed. Check your specific address with DOEE.
Do I need a permit for drainage or a retaining wall in Bloomingdale?
Usually, yes. Building and land-disturbance permits in the District come from the DC Department of Buildings (DOB) — there is no county permit office — with DOEE reviewing the stormwater side. Because Bloomingdale is a designated historic district, exterior work visible from the street may also need Historic Preservation Office review. Actaeon confirms the path with DOB before work begins.
Why does Bloomingdale flood so badly in heavy rain?
It's a low-lying basin at the foot of hills to the north and east, shaped by the now-buried Tiber Creek, and it's served by an undersized combined sewer that has backed up during heavy rains for more than a century. In summer 2012, four intense storms overwhelmed the system, flooded vehicles near the T Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW basin, and pushed sewer backflow into basements — which is why DC Water later mined the First Street Tunnel beneath the neighborhood.
Does the First Street Tunnel mean I don't need my own drainage work?
No. The First Street Tunnel, completed in October 2016, holds up to six million extra gallons during heavy storms and relieves the sewer — but it starts working only once water reaches the sewer. On your own lot, grading, French drains, and downspout routing are what keep rain away from the foundation in the first place. The two work together.
Is Actaeon licensed and insured for Bloomingdale projects?
Yes — Actaeon is a licensed and insured contractor working across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with 500+ completed projects. On DC work we build to the District's DOB permit and DOEE review standards, and we account for historic-district review where it applies.
Ready to get started in Bloomingdale?
Tell us what you're seeing — a basement that takes on water, a settled grade, a failing wall, or a hardscape plan that needs drainage designed in — and we'll assess the site and scope the work. On a low-lying Ward 5 rowhouse lot built when the sewer was already old, the smartest drainage isn't a rebate line item — it's grading and hardscape that carry the water off the property before the combined sewer ever has to.