The ICPRB will hold its final business meeting of FY24 on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at the Adams County Agricultural and National Resources Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Commissioners will get an update on the region’s response to the drought, get briefed on ICPRB projects, and get a spotlight presentation on the Adams County Conservation District. Find the draft agenda on our Business Meetings site.

The public is invited to attend the meeting. Please contact us by Friday, September 6, for more information on how to attend.

Drought update, winter salt, algae blooms, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – August 22, 2024 >>>

River Report – Drought Watch remains in the DC Metro Region

The river’s flow has steadied since Debby blew through, however, there is no rain in the forecast. Today’s flow at the Point of Rocks gage (2730 ft3/s) is right at the historical median level (2750 ft3/s) and has steadily dropped since Debby. As a reminder, ICPRB will enter Drought Monitoring status if the flow drops below 2000 ft3/s.

The U.S. Drought Monitor map, which came out this morning, shows some good news for the region. Since last week, the Severe Drought (D2) dropped from 58% to 37% of the basin. The Potomac basin is outlined in gray in the image below. Although it is outside the basin, the red Extreme Drought (D3) is new since last week’s Drought Monitor.

The Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) maintains a Drought Watch for the Metro DC region, asking folks to voluntarily reduce their water use.

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has updated their drought data, pulling most of the state out of drought watch. However, the Shenandoah region remains in a Drought Warning status.

The entirety of the Potomac River basin within Maryland remains in Drought Watch, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Winter (Salt) is Coming

It may feel like autumn outside, but at ICPRB, we are already thinking about winter. Specifically, winter salt.

While public safety is always our number one concern, too much winter salt has a detrimental impact on our drinking water, infrastructure, and aquatic life.

Learn more in our Winter Salt Wise Storymap >>>

The Farmers’ Almanac calls for a slushy winter, which could mean a lot of salty slush running off our roads, sidewalks, and parking lots and into our waterways.

Here is what you can do to protect our waterways and be Winter Salt Wise in 3 easy steps:

🌨️ Shovel early and often

🧂 Use less salt (consider if salt is even necessary!)

🧹 After the storm, sweep it up and save it for the next storm

Want to learn more? Check out the Winter Salt Wise Storymap or join one of these upcoming trainings, hikes, or webinars:

• Sept 5 – Webinar: Watching Out for Winter Road Salt (intended audience: general public)
• Oct 3 – Smart Salt Applicator Training (intended audience: winter maintenance professionals)
• Oct 12 – Walk in the Woods: Let’s be Smart About Winter Salt (intended audience: A free guided hike for the general public in Gaithersburg, MD)
• Oct-Nov – Smart Salting: Enhanced Winter Maintenance Training Series (intended audience: property managers, business owners, landscaping companies, and other private contractors / salt applicators)

Drought Monitoring suspended, Potomac Conference on invasive species, kayakers down Great Falls, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – August 8, 2024 >>>

River Report – ICPRB Stops Drought Monitoring

From Drought Watch to Flood Watch, it is never a dull moment along the Potomac River, a notoriously flashy river. The Onion reported it best with their hard-hitting news piece, Every Place On Earth Has Wrong Amount Of Water.

After months of below-average rain, the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center predicts the region will receive 4 inches of rain over the next 3 days. Due to the expected river flows, ICPRB has suspended Drought Monitoring.

Unlike the quick thunderstorms, this sustained rain will help recharge our rivers, groundwater, and soil and will go far to reduce our drought.

Of course, if the rain doesn’t come (or doesn’t come again for a long time), ICPRB will be back tracking the drought and keeping you informed.

If the recent weather has you inspired to pen poetry and your are curious about the different drought terms, our recent Facebook post sets it straight >>>

We want to express our appreciation to all of the people who provide us with the data during our daily Drought Monitoring, including water suppliers and partner agencies: Fairfax Water, Washington Aqueduct, WSSC Water, and Loudoun Water, US Geological Survey and the NWS Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. It is no small task to compile this information and we sincerely appreciate all their help.

Hot of the presses is the Water Supply Outlook for August, the monthly ICPRB report that explores the possibility of regional water supply releases. It indicates that precipitation and temperature will be above-normal through the end of the summer.

Registration Opens for 2024 Potomac River Conference

Join ICPRB on October 17 in Lorton, VA, for the 2024 Potomac River Conference: Reeling in the Challenge of Aquatic Invasive Species which expounds on the science, policy, and management of invasive fishes and other aquatic species in the Potomac River basin. The agenda starts out with an invasive species case study of blue catfish and leads into research on other invasive species in the Potomac River.

Click here for more information and registration details >>>

Thank you for the support from our sponsors, Xylem Water solutions & Water Technology, HDR, Inc, and J.J. McDonnell & Co, Inc., for helping to make this event happen!

Regional Drought Watch declaration, algae blooms, putting blue catfish on the menu, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – August 1, 2024 >>>

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 >>>