Hi, I’m curious about Ft. Reno, specifically the building sitting on top of the hill. I know that’s not the original fort, thanks to the NPS sign on Nebraska Ave as well as their website. All I know is that the site is always guarded and secure. So, what goes on in there?

Would you believe us if we told you it was a super-secret black ops division of the CIA? No?

At 429 feet above sea level, Fort Reno sits atop the highest point in the city. As the National Park Service website you linked to above notes, the fort was dismantled, abandoned, and eventually completely removed to clear way for construction of the water reservoirs (there are currently two reservoirs on site).

The turreted castle-like structure that adjoins the reservoirs is none other than the Fort Reno Pumping Station, one of five pumping stations in the District operated by the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. In addition to the pump stations, the system also includes five reservoirs and four water storage tanks, as well as the mammoth Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant in Southwest D.C. According to the WASA website:

The water distribution system within the District is intended to provide an average water pressure of approximately 50 pounds per square inch to the customer’s tap. A difference in ground elevation of approximately 410 feet from the low point to the high point in the District requires that the water system be divided into seven service areas.