Jefferson Memorial's Sea Wall Is Sinking

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The soil that the wall is built on is soft and that has compromised it. There are some portions of the wall that have sunk almost a foot since it was built in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

While repairs will be needed a yearlong engineering survey by the National Park Service says the wall is not in danger.

It has been recommended that the wall should be reinforced by installing pilings through the mud flats and anchoring those to the bedrock deep in the earth. This repair could cost taxpayers more than $10 million dollars.

"It's a significant issue," said Nathan James, a project manager for HNTB Federal Services of Washington, one of the firms that conducted the study. "If it isn't addressed, there's nothing to stop (the sinking), nothing to arrest the problem."

The memorial remains open and according to the park service is safe and sound. There will b more evaluations made before the project moves forward.