Hydrologic and Hydrogeologic Assessments

Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin

ICPRB compiles surface and groundwater data and develops complex tools to conduct hydrologic and hydrogeologic assessments to 1) improve understanding of the natural environment and 2) assess potential impacts of anthropogenic activities. Projects include:

  • Impervious Cover Assessment
    • Building on the results of the Middle Potomac River Watershed Assessment that found drastic alteration in flows when impervious surface exceeds 0.4 to 2.1 percent, ICPRB evaluated whether stream flow in the Potomac basin is more susceptible to alteration from impervious cover in areas with certain watershed characteristics.
  • Groundwater monitoring
  • Monocacy River surface/groundwater flow modeling
  • Watershed water budgets
    • ICPRB staff utilized annual and seasonal water budgets for the Monocacy/Catoctin drainage area to assess groundwater availability.
    • Potomac basin groundwater recharge was assessed by ICPRB staff utilizing statistical regional baseflow models to estimate annual recharge to the fractured bedrock aquifers for water resources or watershed management purposes.
    • State and local water resources planning efforts often include the development of annual and seasonal water budgets.
  • Investigations of Coastal Plain water resources issues
    • ICPRB organized two workshops to discuss water resources issues in the Coastal Plain. The workshops were held in June 2005, in La Plata, Md., and in March 2006, in Dalgren, Va.