Rain in the forecast, eels in the river, angry yellowjackets, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – August 29, 2024 >>>

River Report – Low Flows but Rain in the Forecast

Drought brings a lot of things—anxiety, thirsty plants, low river levels, angry yellowjackets (yes, you read that right!), and even poor air quality. The DC Metro region air quality dipped into Code Orange yesterday and was considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. It is expected to improve in the coming days.

The river’s flow at Point of Rocks is hovering at the point where ICPRB begins daily Drought Monitoring, however, staff will postpone initiating Drought Monitoring due to the 1 – 3 inches of rain in the forecast.

The heaviest rain is expected in the western part of the watershed, which is also currently the driest area in today’s U.S. Drought Monitor map. How that changes the map remains to be seen. Currently, the amount of the watershed in Severe Drought (orange) jumped from 37% to almost 60% since last week.

All the F(eels) for our NFWF Grant

We are excited to announce that ICPRB has received a 2024 Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) grant to restore access of the American eel to historic habitat in the western Potomac River watershed. The project will open more than 1,500 miles of upstream river and stream habitat for eel and related aquatic species.

Learn more about ICPRB’s eel project and see other WILD grant recipients >>>

The return of a thriving eel population to the Potomac River and its tributaries will provide more food for other species and better water quality, thereby increasing ecosystem resiliency.

This project is made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service and Altria. Additional support was provided by the National Park Service.

Stay tuned to learn more as the project progresses!

Upcoming ICPRB Business Meeting

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.

Impacts from Debby, a plan for the future, lawsuits to address pollution, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – August 15, 2024 >>>

River Report – Still Drought, but Less Drought

We are almost on par for average rain for the season. However, just the average rain amount doesn’t tell the whole story. How much rain, where it falls, and how often we get storms are just some of the important pieces to the “drought puzzle”.

The U.S. Drought Monitor map came out today, the first one since Tropical Storm Debby blew through. The revised map has much less red than the beginning of the month, but still a lot of orange. Extreme Drought in the watershed is down to zero, while 71% is in either Moderate or Severe Drought status.

The river received a boost from Debby but is falling back down to normal levels.

NOAA expects above average temperatures and slightly above average rain over the next 3 months. However, the rain predictions are due to an expected active hurricane season. We might have some quick gullywashers on our way, but that might not help fill our waterways and groundwater in the long run. Stay tuned as we keep you informed the latest news, data, and poetry.

With not much rain in the immediate forecast, the DC Metro region remains in a Drought Watch and authorities are still asking folks to voluntarily conserve water use.

A Plan for the Future

After many years and much collaboration, ICPRB published the Potomac River Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan in 2018. The plan described a shared vision for the Potomac basin, determined water resources issues, and suggested actions for achieving that shared vision. ICPRB is honored to serve as the catalyst for the plan’s implementation.

In 2023, five years after the plan’s adoption, the plan’s Advisory Committee, staff, and facilitators evaluated implementation progress and suggested action items for the next five years. The result was the 2023 Plan Report. Each year, staff document progress and outline the next steps to continue the journey towards our shared vision. To learn more, read the Progress Report for Year Six or visit the plan’s StoryMap to see the products resulting from this stakeholder-based, multi-year effort. This includes a summary of the Partnering for the Potomac event in June that brought together ICPRB’s federal partners to identify areas of common interest and opportunities for collaboration.

**Registration is Open**

2024 Potomac River Conference: Reeling in the Challenge of Aquatic Invasive Species. 

8:30 am – 3:30 pm

October 17, 2024

River View at Occoquan in Lorton, VA.

Join the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin for a conference that will expound on the science, policy, and management of invasive fishes and other aquatic species in the Potomac River basin.

Click here for a PDF of the agenda >>>

Click here for more information and registration details >>>

Our relationship with invasive, non-native aquatic species in the Potomac River basin is complicated. Alarms are sounded and eradication efforts mobilized for some species (zebra mussels, blue catfish), while concerns about other non-native species fade as they fill empty ecological niches (Asiatic clams) or become prized fisheries (smallmouth bass). The goal of this effort is to convene a one-day, in-person conference to enhance awareness of the ecological roles that aquatic invasive species have or could assume in the Potomac River basin and the adverse impacts they impart when natural controls are missing.

The day will start out with an invasive species case study of blue catfish and lead into research on other invasive species in the Potomac River.

We have extended the deadline for poster presentations. Please submit an abstract if you are interested in having a poster at the event.