Water Supply Outlook released, more intense rainstorms, spring events, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir >>>

River Report: Water Supply Outlook

The first Water Supply Outlook reports for the year 2025 has been published by ICPRB’s CO-OP staff. This report provides an update on the possibility of water supply releases from the area’s reservoirs based on the best available data.

The probability of water supply releases from backup reservoirs in the Washington metropolitan area during the summer and fall seasons of 2025 is currently above normal.

As of early April, streamflow is below normal, and groundwater levels are mostly below normal across the Potomac basin.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ drought watch, along with state-level drought watches and warnings in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, remains in effect. Nonetheless, the region is well-prepared for drought conditions, with well-established contingency plans designed to safeguard the reliability of the Washington metropolitan area’s water supply.

Contact us if you would like to receive an email notification when the monthly Water Supply Outlook is published.

Field Trip for ICPRB Staff

Staff from ICPRB and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality recently toured the Broad Run watershed in Northern Virginia as part of a stressor analysis project. In addition to inspecting the streams, the group walked the site at Loudoun Water’s Broad Run Reclamation Facility and received a presentation on Broad Run monitoring data analysis by Dr. Stanley Grant at the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory. Thank you to Loudoun Water for hosting us!

See the photos on our Facebook page >>>

Projects likes these identify factors the in a watershed that are impacting water quality. When officials are aware of what is creating the problem, they are better able to address it.

Learn more about ICPRB’s water quality reports throughout the basin >>>

ICPRB’s annual report explores the river in 2024, road salt sweeping, where is the rain?, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Mar. 27, 2025 >>>

We are proud to share our 2024 Annual Report, highlighting a year of impactful work protecting and enhancing the Potomac River watershed.

Inside the report:

💦 The 2024 Full River Report
🌿 Tackling climate challenges & drought resilience
🐟 Fighting aquatic invasive species
📉 Tracking water use & conservation efforts
🏘 Partnering with communities for sustainable water use
🔬 Advancing science for a cleaner, healthier Potomac

The Potomac River is a vital resource for millions. Through science, collaboration, and education, ICPRB is ensuring its health for future generations.

Excerpt from the “River Report” section of the 2024 Annual Report:

Records were broken. The D.C. region experienced its longest dry streak of 38 days without significant rain. According to NOAA, October was one of the warmest and driest on record for the entire United States. The Potomac basin upstream of Washington, D.C. received only 0.8 inches of rain during that month, which is 2.2 inches below normal.

Scientists are seeing a trend in increasing average temperatures year after year. Heat-induced moisture loss could lead to longer, more widespread, drought conditions.

These increases are not limited to the ambient (air) temperature. Recent data analysis by ICPRB has seen an increase in water temperatures over the past century. Average water temperatures are increasing across all seasons with winter months seeing the fastest climb.

Rapid river report shows dry conditions, new staff at ICPRB, impacts from Federal cuts, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Mar. 20, 2025 >>>

Welcome new ICPRB staff and 2025 interns

Please join us in welcoming a new staff member and our 2025 interns! We are excited to have them join the team.

Megan McClaugherty is joining ICPRB staff as an Ecological Technician. She is a Certified Associate Ecologist who is particularly interested in the effective management and restoration of freshwater ecosystems to meet both the needs of humans and aquatic life.

Megan has a Master’s degree in water resources management and Certificate in Geospatial Analysis from Duke University and a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from North Carolina State University. She has experience with groundwater, surface water, and biological monitoring; a variety of wildlife survey techniques; and data analysis and visualization.

As a native Marylander, Megan is excited to join the Aquatic Life team supporting ICPRB’s effort to protect the Potomac River and improve the quality of life for all in the watershed.

Alyssa Freedman has joined ICPRB as a Water Resources Intern. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, where she majored in Systems Engineering and minored in Global Sustainability.

She comes to ICPRB with experience in stormwater management and flood resiliency planning. She is also involved in watershed stewardship volunteering with multiple local environmental organizations in the D.C. area. This summer, she will support ICPRB’s watershed modeling efforts. Alyssa is eager to assist the basin jurisdictions in understanding and achieving water quality goals.

Dan Bloedow has joined ICPRB as a Water Resources Intern. He recently graduated from St. Olaf College in Minnesota where he studied biology and Spanish with a minor in statistics and data science.

This summer, he will improve ICPRB’s Water Quality Data Inventory, a tool which provides a listing of available water quality data sources in the Potomac River basin. During his time at ICPRB, Dan will be updating information, enhancing the user-interface, and making overall improvements to the tool.

Commending Commissioner Holland

Commissioner Paul Holland of Arlington, Virginia, recently stepped down from the Commission at the end of his second term as a Commissioner representing the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the quarterly Commission meeting on March 18, 2025, the ICPRB Commissioners moved to commend Commissioner Holland for his eight years of service.

Commissioner Holland was appointed to ICPRB by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2017 and re-appointed by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in 2021. As a Commissioner, Mr. Holland led many elements of ICPRB’s work, including serving as chair for the Audit Committee and the Nominations and Governance Committee. During ICPRB’s quarterly Commission meetings, Commissioner Holland displayed an outstanding capacity for original thought, self-reliance, and initiative. Commissioner Holland’s work on the ICPRB showed an ability to quickly develop effective working relationships with new colleagues and to address complex policy issues facing the five states and federal government located within the Potomac River watershed.

ICPRB Commissioners and staff would like to thank Mr. Holland for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors.

The ICPRB is served by three commissioners and three alternate commissioners from each of the six jurisdictions within the Potomac River watershed, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the Federal Government. See the current commissioners on ICPRB’s website >>>

Rapid River Report

The U.S. Drought Monitor map, released this morning, has almost the entirety of the Potomac River watershed in Abnormally Dry to Severe Drought conditions, with over half of the watershed in Moderate Drought conditions.

Year to date, rain in the Potomac River watershed above Little Falls is 2.2 inches below average.

The USGS Point of Rocks gage received a bump in flow after the recent rain, but at ~10,000 cubic feet per second, the flow is still below the median for this time of year.

Staff at ICPRB’s Section for Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) will release the first Water Supply Outlook of 2025 in early April. A link to the report will be included in the newsletter once it is released.

Water bottling facility rejected , spring events announced , international friendships blossom , and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Mar. 13, 2025 >>>

**The Dutch doorbell just for fish is open for business. Keep your eye on the camera and ring the doorbell when you see a fish so the boat lock operator can open the door. Learn more about the doorbell that makes international news every year >>>**

Cherry blooms help international relations blossom

Cherry blossoms are in the news. The National Park Service predicts peak bloom will fall between March 28 and March 31.

Did you know that the Potomac River has a sister river and that these iconic pink blooms tie us to that river across the world known as the Arakawa?

The Arakawa-Potomac Sister River Agreement, co-signed by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin and the Arakawa Sakura Club in March of 1996, set in motion efforts to actively develop an international friendship between residents and communities of the Arakawa and Potomac watersheds. This relationship still blossoms today with friendship and information exchanges.

Just as the Potomac flows through our nation’s capital, the Arakawa flows through Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The rivers have similar struggles, and successes, from which we both can learn.

Learn more about the Arakawa and the sister river agreement on ICPRB’s website >>>

ICPRB in the community

• Mar. 29 – Walk in the Woods: Potomac Marble (Dickerson, MD)
• Apr. 13 – Stream Cleanup (Frederick, MD)
• Apr. 21 – Earth Extravaganza (Gettysburg, PA)
• Apr. 27 – Rockville Science Day (MD)
• May 4 – Anacostia Festival (DC)
• May 10 – Walk in the Woods: Frederick Municipal Forest (MD)
• May 31 – Earthfest 2025 (Frederick, MD)