River Report: Year in Review
If you are one of those who typically only look at the graphs in our weekly River Reports, we have a lot of eye candy for you this week as we look at the year in review.
As Ian Livingston of the Washington Post notes, the year “will be remembered for persistent and record-breaking warmth, recurrent drought, and several significant weather events…”
(1) The adjusted flow at Little Falls gives us a good idea of where the river’s flow was in regards to the average. The spring storms kept the flow above the 50th percentile. However, once we moved out of the wet spring into the dry summer, the flow dipped below the 10th percentile. A few storms blew in after the summer which kept the flow (mostly) above the 10th percentile.
(2) The river’s flow at Point of Rocks shows the flashiness of the river. This means the river moves quickly from low flows to high flows and back again.
(3) According to the National Weather Service’s Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center (MARFC), the Potomac River above Little Falls received precipitation of 1.4 inches below average during 2024. Although we were close to an average amount of rain, much of the rain was in short, heavy bursts (as seen in the previous graphs). There were extended periods without rain during the year.
(4) There were record-breaking temperatures.
(5) The U.S. Drought Monitor is ending the year with over half of the Potomac watershed in Moderate Drought status (56%), while the remaining areas are either Abnormally Dry or in Severe Drought.
We will have a more in-depth Potomac River Year in Review in our 2024 Annual Report, which will be published soon. Stay tuned!
(1) Adjusted flow at Little Falls (2024 flow is in black).
(2) A year of flow at the USGS Point of Rocks Gage.
(3) MARFC observed precipitation above Little Falls for 2024.
(4) Annual average temperature since 1872. Source: Ian Livingston/Washington Post
(5) U.S. Drought Monitor Map, released Dec. 31, 2024.
Remy Says, “Just a Pinch!”
Back in October, ICPRB’s director of communications, Renee Bourassa, in partnership with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Izaak Walton League of America, led a workshop at the Chesapeake Watershed Forum on communications around the impacts of winter salt on water quality.
As part of the workshop, attendees teamed up to design their own salt box art. What is “salt box art”, you ask? Salt boxes are icons of winter in Baltimore. The yellow boxes filled with winter salt provide residents the opportunity to salt their own sidewalks and roads before the city is able to service them. A recent art movement has seen the boxes getting fun and interesting refurbishments. What better place to communicate smart winter salting practices to protect our waterways?
At the forum, workshop attendees teamed up to create their own salt box panel. One lucky team’s art would be sketched by Baltimore artist and business-owner, Juliet Ames.
We are excited to announce that Ames has installed the art just in time for the region’s first real winter storm of the season. See more photos on her Threads and Instagram account.
Learn more about the impacts of winter salt in the region on ICPRB’s Winter Salt Smart page >>>
Be winter salt smart in 3 easy steps:
❄️ Shovel first
🧂 Salt lightly
🧹 Sweep it up after the storm (save it for a future storm!)
Winter Salt Awareness Week is coming up January 27-31. Join national and regional webinars and in-person events to learn more about what is being done on this important issue. ICPRB and partners will be speaking on regional efforts at 2:30pm on January 29. Enter you state when registering and you will receive a calendar invite for the webinar.
REMINDER: ICPRB is hiring for an Ecological Technician position as well as several spring/summer internships. Applications due January 10.