Click here to see the full Potomac News Reservoir – May 25, 2023

Creek Critter Meet & Greet

Festival season for some ICPRB staff means getting out the nets and catching a variety of creek critters for a meet and greet with the public.

Kids of all ages enjoy exploring our plastic tub “creek” to see what interesting creatures they can find while learning about what the creatures can tell us about the health of a creek.

Children looking into a plastic bin with leaves and benthic macroinvertebrates. An adult helps them find the bugs.

Aquatic biologists can learn a lot about the health of a creek based on what lives there. Some species, such as the hellgrammite (shown below), need cool waters, lots of oxygen, and are sensitive to pollution. If you find them in a creek, it’s a good sign of a healthy stream.

See more fun pictures of the recent Anacostia River Festival and the MAEOE Green Schools Youth Summit on our Facebook page. To join the next Creek Critter Meet & Greet, join us at the Frederick Co. Master Gardener’s Earth Awareness Day on June 17 in Frederick, MD.

Drought Preparation in the Basin

Each year the ICPRB staff of the Section for the Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) spend a lot of time thinking about what they will do during a drought.

During times of drought, this important section of ICPRB works closely with a collaborative of water suppliers to coordinate water supply operations. In years when there is no drought, like in 2022, CO-OP conducts a drought exercise to maintain readiness and improve operations and communication processes.

The activities, detailed in the recently released 2022 Washington Metropolitan Area Drought Exercise Report, included a call to discuss potential water use restrictions associated with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments “Warning” stage, communication with Washington Aqueduct on the Low Flow Allocation Agreement thresholds, and data collection and operational forecasts through CO-OP’s Data Portal and daily flow forecast tool, which are important communication outlets deployed during a drought.

Currently, the rain in the Potomac River basin above Little Falls is 26-50% below average for the past 90 days. If drought does occur this year, it is practices like these drought exercises that ensure the Washington Metro area is well protected from water supply shortages.