U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Datums Page Page 1 of 5
Station ID: 9446545 PUBLICATION DATE: 08/09/2004
Name: TACOMA
WA
NOAA Chart: 18453 Latitude: 47° 15.3' N ( 47.25500)
USGS Quad: TACOMA NORTH Longitude: 122° 25.9' W (-122.43200)
To reach the tidal bench marks from the intersection of Pacific Avenue and East
11st Street in Tacoma, Washington, proceed east along 11th Street for 0.8 km
(0.5 mi), crossing over the 11th Street Bridge and city waterway to East E
Street, then turn left and proceed north for one block, then turn left again and
proceed west on 11th Street lower level and proceed 0.3 km (0.2 mi) to the
Tacoma City Fire boat station and slip, adjacent to the north side of the 11th
Street bridge. The bench marks are located along the Railroad tracks around the
station. The tide gage and staff were located on a piling clump 22 m (72 ft)
west of the onshore fire boat station.
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 2 of 5
Station ID: 9446545 PUBLICATION DATE: 08/09/2004
Name: TACOMA
WA
NOAA Chart: 18453 Latitude: 47° 15.3' N ( 47.25500)
USGS Quad: TACOMA NORTH Longitude: 122° 25.9' W (-122.43200)
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
PRIMARY BENCH MARK STAMPING: E 406 1965
DESIGNATION: E 406
MONUMENTATION: Bench Mark disk VM#: 9161
AGENCY: US Coast and Geodetic Survey
(USC&GS) IDB PID#: SY0534
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete curb OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 47° 15.2' N ( 47.25330) LONGITUDE: 122° 25.8' W (-122.43000)
The primary bench mark is a disk set in the top of the east end of the south
concrete curb of the 11th Street bridge over the city waterway, 1.83 m (6.0 ft)
south of the south curb of East 11th Street, 0.15 m (0.5 ft) north of the east
end of a guard rail, 0.15 m (0.5 ft) north of the NW corner of the top of five
concrete steps, and about level with the street.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 3 of 5
Station ID: 9446545 PUBLICATION DATE: 08/09/2004
Name: TACOMA
WA
NOAA Chart: 18453 Latitude: 47° 15.3' N ( 47.25500)
USGS Quad: TACOMA NORTH Longitude: 122° 25.9' W (-122.43200)
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: F 406 1965
DESIGNATION: F 406
MONUMENTATION: Bench Mark disk VM#: 9162
AGENCY: US Coast and Geodetic Survey
(USC&GS) IDB PID#: SY0535
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Retaining wall OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 47° 15.5' N ( 47.25830) LONGITUDE: 122° 25.2' W (-122.42000)
The bench mark is a disk set in the top of the SW end of the SE concrete
retaining wall for the 11th Street bridge over the Puyallup River, 1.37 m (4.5
ft) SW of the SE curb of East 11th Street, 1.37 m (4.5 ft) NE of the SW end of a
guardrail, 0.15 m (0.5 ft) higher than the street, and level with the sidewalk.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: TIDE 22 1933
MONUMENTATION: Tidal Station disk VM#: 13319
AGENCY: US Coast and Geodetic Survey
(USC&GS) IDB PID#: SY0536
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Sidewalk OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 47° 15.8' N ( 47.26330) LONGITUDE: 122° 24.8' W (-122.41300)
The bench mark is a disk set in the concrete sidewalk at the NE end of the East
11th Street Bridge over the Puyallup River, in a 1 m (3 ft) square concrete slab
in the angle formed by the sidewalks, 2.74 m (9.0 ft) NW of the NW curb of East
11th Street, 0.3 m (1 ft) NW of a lamp post, which is also the NE end of the
iron railing along the NW side of the bridge.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 4 of 5
Station ID: 9446545 PUBLICATION DATE: 08/09/2004
Name: TACOMA
WA
NOAA Chart: 18453 Latitude: 47° 15.3' N ( 47.25500)
USGS Quad: TACOMA NORTH Longitude: 122° 25.9' W (-122.43200)
T I D A L D A T U M S
Tidal datums at TACOMA based on:
LENGTH OF SERIES: 1 MONTH
TIME PERIOD: July 1977 - July 1977
TIDAL EPOCH: 1983-2001
CONTROL TIDE STATION: 9447130 SEATTLE, PUGET SOUND
Elevations of tidal datums referred to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), in METERS:
MEAN HIGHER HIGH WATER MHHW = 3.605
MEAN HIGH WATER MHW = 3.337
MEAN TIDE LEVEL MTL = 2.105
MEAN SEA LEVEL MSL = 2.097
MEAN LOW WATER MLW = 0.873
North American Vertical Datum NAVD88 = 0.795
MEAN LOWER LOW WATER MLLW = 0.000
North American Vertical Datum (NAVD88)
Bench Mark Elevation Information In METERS above:
Stamping or Designation MLLW MHW
E 406 1965 7.146 3.809
F 406 1965 8.010 4.673
TIDE 22 1933 5.888 2.551
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 5 of 5
Station ID: 9446545 PUBLICATION DATE: 08/09/2004
Name: TACOMA
WA
NOAA Chart: 18453 Latitude: 47° 15.3' N ( 47.25500)
USGS Quad: TACOMA NORTH Longitude: 122° 25.9' W (-122.43200)
D E F I N I T I O N S
Mean Sea Level (MSL) is a tidal datum determined over a 19-year National Tidal
Datum Epoch. It pertains to local mean sea level and should not be confused
with the fixed datums of North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).
NAVD88 is a fixed datum derived from a simultaneous, least squares, minimum
constraint adjustment of Canadian/Mexican/United States leveling observations.
Local mean sea level observed at Father Point/Rimouski, Canada was held fixed as
the single initial constraint. NAVD88 replaces NGVD29 as the national
standard geodetic reference for heights. Bench mark elevations relative to
NAVD88 are available from NGS through the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
NGVD29 is a fixed datum adopted as a national standard geodetic reference for
heights but is now considered superseded. NGVD29 is sometimes referred to as
Sea Level Datum of 1929 or as Mean Sea Level on some early issues of Geological
Survey Topographic Quads. NGVD29 was originally derived from a general
adjustment of the first-order leveling networks of the U.S. and Canada after
holding mean sea level observed at 26 long term tide stations as fixed.
Numerous local and wide-spread adjustments have been made since establishment in
1929. Bench mark elevations relative to NGVD29 are available from the National
Geodetic Survey (NGS) data base via the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
NAVD88 and NGVD29 are fixed geodetic datums whose elevation relationships to
local MSL and other tidal datums may not be consistent from one location to
another.
The Vertical Mark Number (VM#) and PID# shown on the bench mark sheet are unique
identifiers for bench marks in the tidal and geodetic databases, respectively.
Each bench mark in either database has a single, unique VM# and/or PID# assigned.
Where both VM# and PID# are indicated, both tidal and geodetic elevations are
available for the bench mark listed. The NGS's Integrated Data Base (IDB PID)
provides geodetic datum based on traditionally leveled and bluebooked ties to
the National Spatial Reference System(NSRS) https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/datasheets/.
The NGS Online Positioning User Service (OPUS PID) provides geodetic datum based
on GPS position & tie it to the NSRS https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS/.
The NAVD88 elevation is shown on the Elevations of Tidal Datums Table Referred
to MLLW only when two or more of the bench marks listed have NAVD88 elevations.
The NAVD88 elevation relationship shown in the table is derived from an average
of several bench mark elevations relative to tide station datum. As a result of
this averaging, NAVD88 bench mark elevations computed indirectly from the tidal
datums elevation table may differ slightly from NAVD88 elevations listed for
each bench mark in the NGS database.