Who protects the river during a spill?
The Potomac River is the source of drinking water for much of the D.C. metropolitan region. When a contamination event or spill threatens the health of the river, many organizations — ICPRB, local, regional, and federal agencies, water suppliers, and others — respond. What is ICPRB’s role?
Communications: ICPRB maintains a spill hotline. We encourage the public to report incidents of pollution in the Potomac watershed to authorities, first by calling the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center at 800-424-8802 and then calling ICPRB’s hotline at 773-913-8462. In addition, ICPRB coordinates a listserv of water suppliers and government agencies to share information and to communicate quickly during a drinking water emergency. Learn more about reporting a spill >>>
Tracking a Spill: ICPRB uses an Emergency River Spill Model (ERSM) and other tools to estimate travel time and concentration of a contaminant in the river. Emergency responders and drinking water suppliers can use this data to inform their situational response. This is an important part of protecting public water supplies during an emergency. Learn more about ERSM >>>
Preparation: Understanding the “who, what, when, where, and why” prior to an emergency is an important component to a quick and efficient response during an emergency. Annual spill exercises help the organizations practice communications, test equipment, learn new skills, and strengthen relationships. Learn about the 2024 spill exercise >>>
**IMPORTANT – ICPRB has recently updated the spill reporting phone number to 773-913-8462. If your agency maintains a list of emergency contact numbers, please update it accordingly.**