River Report – Drought Watch declared for DC Metro Area
On Monday, the Drought Coordination Committee of the Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) declared a Drought Watch for the DC Metro area which calls for voluntary water conservation measures by the region’s residents and businesses. This is the second level in COG’s four-stage regional drought response plan.
Read ICPRB’s News Release about the Drought Watch >>>
The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map shows almost 90% of the watershed is experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions. The extreme drought conditions are concentrated in the western part of the watershed.
Governor Justice of West Virginia declared a state-wide State of Emergency due to impacts from drought.
At least 92 counties and cities in Virginia are in either Drought Watch or Drought Warning status.
The Maryland Department of the Environment declared a Drought Watch for the western part of the state.
Most smaller jurisdictions across the Potomac watershed are a asking folks to voluntarily minimize their water use to reduce the stress on local streams and groundwater. Some cities are imposing mandatory water restrictions.
A Comprehensive Look at Water Use in the Potomac Basin
When the Potomac Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan identified a possible inadequacy in the understanding of water-use on a watershed-wide level, ICPRB staff looked into it. The resulting paper, recently published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association, investigated if the full spectrum of water uses is known — and needed — in order for sustainable management of water resources.
Read the report: Evaluation of reported and unreported water uses in various sectors of the Potomac basin for the year 2017 >>>