Low river flows are not uncommon during the dry months of late summer. So when the river flow at the USGS Point of Rocks gage dipped below 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) last Friday, ICPRB staff weren’t surprised, but they did kick into high gear. That level of flow is the threshold for active drought monitoring. Every day during active drought monitoring, staff of ICPRB’s Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) coordinates with our partners to send daily reports to stakeholders summarizing flow, weather, and demand conditions. This type of coordinated collaboration ensures we are prepared for whatever the future holds.

Even if drought conditions persist, the water supply of the DC Metro area is protected due to decades of planning by ICPRB and its partners. One strategy to remediate drought is to engage upstream drinking water reservoirs which can provide supplemental water during low flows to ensure sufficient water downstream.

Find the current flow at Point of Rocks in the gage below: