Welcoming ICPRB interns, status of the Shenandoah, rockfish in limbo, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – April 4, 2024 >>>

Welcoming ICPRB’s 2024 Interns

Nusrat Noor will be joining ICPRB remotely from her home base of Durham, NC where she is working on her Master of Environmental Management at Duke University. She has experience curating and cataloging large collections of aquatic and marine invertebrates at both the Auburn University Museum of Natural History and the Florida Museum of Natural History.

At ICPRB, Ms. Noor will be working closely with the CO-OP team to retrieve and analyze remotely sensed water storage data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to improve hydrological modeling and forecasting during low flows in the Potomac basin. She is also working to make historic, handwritten water quality datasets held by ICPRB available in electronic format.

Nusrat is originally from Florida and currently lives with her two cats. She enjoys hiking, crocheting, and buying toys for her cats that they never use.

Risa Fish hails from Phoenix, Arizona, where she advocated for clean water and sanitation practices for an organization conducting water projects in Cusco, Peru. She also conducted research and educated the public on water conservation at the Water Conservation Department of the City of Chandler. Already holding a Bachelor of Science in Public Service and Public Policy (Sustainability) from Arizona State University, Ms. Fish is now working on her Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management at Georgetown University, where she expects to graduate this summer. She hopes to remain in the DMV area post-graduation as she has loved living on the East Coast.

During her internship at ICPRB, she will be working on a Spatial Statistical Network modeling project as well as making improvements to our water quality data inventory. As a self-proclaimed “water nerd” she is eager to continue to expand her expertise in the water field and is looking forward to the experiences ICPRB can provide her with.

This is ICPRB’s third year since starting the internship program that educates and encourages future water resources professionals. Check out our YouTube page to see the great work of previous interns.

One Down, Many More to Come

Thank you to our guides, Paul Kreingold and Jon Wolz, and everyone that joined us for our first Walk in the Woods of 2024. We learned the fascinating history of the quarry along the Potomac that supplied the statuesque columns for Statuary Hall in the Capitol. See pictures of our walk (and Potomac marble!) on Facebook.

Sign up for a future Walk in the Woods on our Eventbrite page > > >

Where to find ICPRB this year, VA out of drought, the stories of the first all-Black rowing team and the first Black yacht club, and more in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb. 29, 2024 >>>

ICPRB in the Community

Our dance card is getting full for 2024! Check out several upcoming events where you’ll find ICPRB staff:

• March 2 – Sierra Club Catoctin Group Presents Renee Bourassa: “Flowing Through Time: Our Nation’s River” (Virtual and in-person in Urbana, MD) – Renee Bourassa will present the struggles and successes of the Potomac River.
• March 5 – Why so salty? Freshwater Salinization – Trends and Regional Impacts (Virtual) – Michael Nardolilli will take a regional perspective on the impacts of winter salt use.
• March 28 – Walk in the Woods: Potomac Marble (Dickerson, MD) – Join the first guided hike of 2024 to hear author Paul Kreingold and historian Jon Wolz talk about geology, history, and the search for the stone that was used to rebuild D.C. after the 1814 British invasion.
• April 28 – Walk in the Woods: Frederick Municipal Forest (Frederick, MD) – A spring guided hike with Jenny Willoughby, Sustainably Manager for the City of Frederick. We will discuss protecting and managing the Frederick Municipal Forest (w/ some plant ID in the mix).
• May 18 – Walk in the Woods: Flexing Mussels with Anacostia Watershed Society (DC) – Registration coming soon!
• October 12 – Walk in the Woods: Let’s be Smart About Winter Salt (Gaithersburg, MD) – A beautiful fall walk & talk to discover the hidden impact of winter salt use and what we all can do to protect our waterways.
• October 19 – Walk in the Woods: Strawberry Hill Preserve (Fairfield, PA) – Explore the streams meandering through the Strawberry Hill property and gain insights into their critical role in maintaining the health of the waters

We’ll be adding more fun and informative events throughout the year. We also plan to bring our creek critter meet and greet to the Earth Day Celebration (April 20, Frederick, MD), Anacostia River Festival (May 4, DC), Festival del Rio Anacostia (September 21, DC), and many more! Stay tuned by checking out ICPRB Events on our website.

ICPRB Q2 Business Meeting will be on March 12, 2024

ICPRB will hold the second quarter business meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Commissioners will learn about computer models used to predict water quality endpoints and discuss the adoption of the 2023 updates to the Potomac Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan. The public is invited to view the virtual meeting. Please respond to this email for more information on how to attend.

Correction Notice

Editor’s Note: Last week’s newsletter included the news article Virginia Introduces Amended Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit to Protect Chesapeake Bay. We were subsequently informed that information found in the article is not accurate. We regret the error.

How road salt affects waterways, local history, drought advisories lifted, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb. 1, 2024 > > >

River Report

Impacts from the recent winter weather have been reflected in the river’s flow, reaching as high as 8 times the median for this time of year (as seen in the graph from the USGS Point of Rocks gage).

Temperatures dipped, creating icy conditions and interfering with gage functionality (the vertical blue line).

The temperature swings turned the weather from snowstorms to rainstorms. What happened to the winter salt during all that rain? If it wasn’t swept up, it was swept away into our rivers and streams.

The salty stormwater is dangerous for the critters that live in the creek, is destructive to infrastructure, and pollutes our drinking water. We were glad to see this important water quality issue widely covered in the news (WUSA9, WTOP, FOX5).

Wisconsin celebrated Winter Salt Awareness Week last week with a series of short webinars on the different aspects of winter salt impacts, including an environmental justice component, ecological consequences, and how to reduce our winter salt use.

Finding the source of pollution and those working to fix it, learning to fish, understanding groundwater, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir.

Exploring Groundwater in the Chesapeake Bay

As the saying goes, “We can’t manage what we can’t measure.” ICPRB’s water resources scientist, Dr. Alimatou Seck, recently published a paper in Hydrogeology Journal that demonstrated the successful use of a large-scale integrated hydrologic model to evaluate groundwater storage dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Understanding groundwater dynamics is an important piece of the Bay restoration puzzle.

Potomac River Conditions

The USGS graph showing the current flow flush with the median flow at Point of Rocks is only telling part of the story. The northern half of Maryland has been placed under a Drought Watch due to low groundwater levels. The gap between current precipitation and the average precipitation is shrinking, but not very quickly. Much of the basin continues to be in moderate or severe drought status, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center.

Current flow: 3410 cfs

Median flow: 3410 cfs

90 day precipitation: -2.0 inches

Fishing is the new Pickleball

Maybe it is only a coincidence that a bass rod is 6 feet long, but in 2020, the 6-feet social distancing recommendations led many people to try their hand at fishing. That year found a record number of anglers on the water.

The trend continues. According to the recent Special Report on Fishing from the Outdoor Foundation and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, 54.5 million people cast a rod in 2022. Last year saw a record number of female anglers, especially new participants. Additionally, over the last decade, Hispanic participation has increased by 45%.

If you want your kids or grandkids to enjoy the sport, start them young. According to the report, 86% of current anglers started fishing before they were 12 years old.

So, maybe you’re ready to put down that pickleball paddle and pick up a fishing pole? Here are some options to learn the craft in the Potomac watershed:

• Friday Night Fishing at Diamond Teague Park with the Anacostia Riverkeeper (Friday nights, June 23 – August 5, Washington, DC)
• Beginner Fly Fishing Clinic with Friends of the Cacapon (July 22-23/Capon Bridge, WV)
• Women’s Intro to Fly Fishing Clinic (Sept 9/Frederick, MD)
• Some outdoor stores, such as Orvis, offer free fishing clinics throughout the summer.

If you are just looking for a new place to catch the “BIG FISH” 🐟, takemefishing.org offers a map of local places to fish and boat.

Don’t forget to check out our weekly Fishing News from Around the Basin at the bottom of the newsletter for the latest news and information about fishing in the Potomac River watershed.