What’s Past is Prologue

An important part of knowing where we are is knowing where we were. Water quality staff at ICPRB recently reviewed and proofed decades of water data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Washington Aqueduct Division, which provides drinking water taken from the Potomac for Washington, D.C, and parts of northern Virginia. Data from 1905 to 2000 had been digitized from fading paper records and checked for accuracy to provide a look at Potomac water quality over time. The long-term trends in water temperature, salt content, and other factors were examined and published in “Potomac River Water Quality at Great Falls: 1940-2019.” Viewing the arc of water quality during more than 80 years of data can provide insights for all research and restoration efforts. Take a look at this video on the results: