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The National Park Service has rejected Alexandria’s request to build a flood-control pump station in Waterfront Park, stopping a key piece of the city’s long-term response to recurring Potomac River flooding.

In a Feb. 20, 2026, letter to City Manager James Parajon, the agency said it would not support the deed changes needed for construction. It determined that the proposed facility would be an “impermissible use” of the park.

Waterfront Park, which sits between King and Prince streets in Old Town, is governed by deed restrictions originating from a 1981 settlement between Alexandria and the federal government. The agreement requires the property to remain an open-space public park permanently, permits only limited park-related structures and imposes a strict building-height restriction.

The Park Service cited those binding conditions in denying the city’s request.

“Protecting the Park from being turned into a stormwater storage site has been our top priority since we heard about it nearly two years ago,” Old Town Civic Association President Yvonne Callahan said while announcing the decision.

Opponents said they repeatedly warned the mayor, City Council members and city manager that the deed restrictions prohibited the pump station. Hundreds of residents gathered petition signatures, including during a “Paws for Pause” event in the park in September.

“We should have never had to spend so much time and effort fighting a terrible proposal that has been clearly illegal since 1981,” one resident said.

The proposed two-story station was part of the Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project, designed to reduce frequent flooding in public areas and nearby streets such as King Street, Prince Street, The Strand and Union Street. City staff presented the facility as a long-term answer to worsening floods caused by tides and rising river levels.

The $145 million project called for renovating the seawall and constructing the pump station, with Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park expected to remain closed until 2028.

Some Old Town residents and business owners mounted sustained opposition over the structure’s size, location and visual effect on a prominent public space. The Waterfront Alliance formed to press for other locations, including a vacant office building at 1 Prince Street.

Alexandria paused the project in late 2025 to study that alternative site. Although the federal decision blocks construction in Waterfront Park, city leaders have said they will continue examining flood-control locations and options that comply with federal restrictions.