Potomac News Reservoir – Sept. 17, 2026 >>>

The Week’s River Report: Back in Drought Monitoring

Due to low flows in the Potomac River, ICPRB initiated daily drought monitoring earlier this week.

ICPRB’s daily Drought Monitoring begins when flow at the USGS stream gage at Point of Rocks, Maryland, falls below 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

When in active Drought Monitoring, we send daily email reports to stakeholders summarizing the river’s flow, weather, and  water demand conditions.

A summary of the reports will be posted on social media using #droughtmonitoring.

Today’s Drought Monitoring Report

🌊 Flow at the USGS Point of Rocks gage is 1760 cfs, which is roughly between the 25th percentile and the median for this time of year.

🗺️ The U.S. Drought Monitor map released this morning remains consistent with last week’s data, with 33% of the basin in Moderate Drought conditions and 43% abnormally dry.

☀️ No rain fell in the basin over the past 24 hours.

🔮 The next 24 hours may see 0.1-0.5 inches of rain. The week-long outlook is 1-2 inches of rain in the basin. (MARFC)

The River’s Ups and Downs

We just started seeing bigger daily fluctuations in the the river’s flow at the Point of Rocks gage. This is due to upstream hydroelectric dam operations designed to protect American eels.

The dams are turned off nightly from mid-September to mid-December during the annual American eel migration downstream. This keeps the slippery fish from getting caught in dam machinery as they make their way to sea to spawn. As a result, the flows downstream show daily fluctuations. Water resources experts, like ICPRB, are aware of these predicable fluctuations and include them in their planning calculations.

Want to know more? Learn about ICPRB’s work with American eels or check out our webinar on their fascinating historical and ecological importance and how they impact water quality.

Congratulations, Jamie!

Last week Jamie Bain Hedges of Fairfax Water (retired) was honored with the ICPRB Signature Award for Excellence in Water Supply Stewardship at the 2026 Potomac River Conference. This award recognizes a person that has made a positive and lasting basin-wide impact with respect to the theme of this year’s conference: the future of water supply in the Potomac River basin.

“Jamie has been a leader in providing clean and abundant drinking water to the customers of Fairfax Water as well as a key player in the managing of the water resources for the entire DC area,” said ICPRB Executive Director Michael Nardolilli.

Bain Hedges, who recently retired from Fairfax Water, joined the organization in 1989 and rose through key leadership roles, eventually becoming the first woman to serve as General Manager in 2021. Hedges engineering expertise and steady leadership have made a lasting impact on Fairfax Water and the region, especially through her work to protect our region’s drinking water sources and ensure they remain safe and dependable for generations to come.

WSSC Water, the conference’s premier sponsor, represented by Dr. Priscilla To, presented Bain Hedges with the award. “There is no one more deserving of this award than Jamie,” said Dr. To. “Through her steady leadership, coalition-building, and commitment to public service, she is an inspiration to all of us working towards a more resilient water supply in the metropolitan region.”

“This recognition was especially meaningful to me, given the many dedicated individuals who have worked tirelessly to protect and preserve the Potomac River,” said Bain Hedges about the award. “The challenges facing the Potomac River are increasingly complex and addressing them will require the continued commitment and collaboration of everyone who cares deeply about the river and its future.”

We would like to acknowledge Ms. Bain Hedges for her many years of service at Fairfax Water and salute her in retirement.

We’re Back with More Expert-led Walks

Please join us on select Saturdays in September, October and November for a FREE Walk in the Woods with experts from all around the Potomac watershed!

• Walk in the Woods: Let’s be Smart About Winter Salt – Rock Creek (MD) – Sept. 19
• Walk in the Woods: Mussel Power (VA) – Oct. 17
• Walk in the Woods: Let’s be Smart About Winter Salt – NW Branch Anacostia (MD) – Nov. 7

Organized by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB), the Potomac River Conference brought together regional water leaders, utilities, scientists, policymakers, and community organizations to explore how the Potomac River basin can maintain a reliable and resilient water supply amid growing uncertainty. Discussions focused on collaboration, water reuse, emerging pressures such as population growth, aging infrastructure, groundwater sustainability, and data center development, as well as advances in forecasting and decision-support tools. A panel of local utility leaders shared long-term planning strategies and infrastructure investments, emphasizing the importance and benefits of the Potomac River basin’s regional coordination and innovative approaches to securing the region’s water future.

This was the fifth event in ICPRB’s annual series of Potomac River Conferences on critical issues facing the Potomac River basin and beyond. Previous subject matters included harmful algal blooms, invasive species, and PFAS.

Links to the conference presentations and posters are below. The full agenda, speaker bios, and more, can be found on the conference website.

• Welcome –
  • Michael Nardolilli, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
  • Willem Brakel, Chair, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin Commissioner (DC)
  • Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive
  • WSSC Water presented the ICPRB Signature Award to Jamie Bain Hedges, Fairfax Water (retired). This award recognizes a person (or organization) that has made a positive and lasting basin-wide impact with respect to the theme of this year’s Potomac River Conference.  We would like to acknowledge Ms. Hedges many years of service at Fairfax Water and to salute her in retirement.

• Resilience on Tap: A History of Water Reuse in the Occoquan and its importance to the Potomac Supply System – Greg Prelewicz, Fairfax Water
• Lessons from the Past: Advancing WMA Water Supply Reliability and Resilience for the Next 50 Years – Josh Weiss, Hazen & Sawyer
• Collaboratively Managing Water Resources through Shared Vision Planning – Jennifer Olszewski, USGS

• Emerging Stormwater and Wastewater Infrastructure Challenges in the Potomac – Gary Belan, American Rivers
• Water Concerns Around Data Center Development in Virginia – Julie Bolthouse, Piedmont Environmental Council
• Montgomery County’s Groundwater Resources: Research and Outreach – Caroline Taylor and Abby Mann, Montgomery Countryside Alliance
• Data Centers and Groundwater – Charles Job, National Ground Water Association
• Round 10.1 Cooperative Forecasts of Employment, Population, and Households – Greg Goodwin, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

• Hydrological Complexity in a Wetter but More Variable Potomac Basin – John Hammond, USGS
• Potomac River Basin Pilot Topobathymetric DEM – Hancock, Maryland to Washington, D.C. – Jeffrey Danielson and Cynthia Miller-Corbett, USGS
• Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center (MARFC) Forecast Products for Water Supply and Drought Management – Seann Reed, NWS Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center
• Probabilistic Deep Learning Forecasting of Subseasonal Streamflow in the Potomac River – Alfonso Mejia, Penn State (contact aim127@psu.edu with questions)

• Dr. Rabia Chaudhry, DC Water
• Greg Prelewicz, Fairfax Water
• Mark Peterson, Loudoun Water
• Nina Hallissy, US Army Corps of Engineers – Baltimore District
• Katie Foreman, WSSC Water

• From Servers to Streams: Exploring the Water-Energy Impacts of Data Center Growth – Jordan Sidney, Volunteer at Great Falls National Park
• Biofilms and Cooling Towers: Learning Module for Undergraduate Civil Engineers – J Garrett Jackson, University of Maryland
• USGS 3DEP Lidar Elevation Data and 3DHP Hydrography Data in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region – Eliza Gross, USGS
• Assessment of the Groundwater Supply in Loudoun County, Virginia – David Ward, Loudoun Groundwater
• The Future of the Groundwater Supply in Loudoun County, Virginia – Madeline Skinner, Loudoun County Conservation and Preservation Coalition
• Water Security as Economic Infrastructure: Innovation and Regional Collaboration for a Resilient Future – Michael Wooden, Christopher Waters, and Prabhushankar Chandrasekeran of Arcadis

The ICPRB 4th Quarter FY2026 Business Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at AlexRenew in Alexandria, Virginia. Commissioners will be presented with Virginia House Resolution No. 371, Commending the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, which was introduced by Delegate Tran (District 18). Also on the agenda, Commissioners will get updates on the “Secure the Source” Study, data center developments, the Potomac Interceptor, and the development of a new Strategic Plan for ICPRB. After the meeting, Commissioners and guests will enjoy a tour of AlexRenew’s wastewater treatment facility.

The public is invited to attend or provide public comment. Please contact us by Friday, September 18 to register.

News From Around the Basin – August 20, 2026 >>>

The Week’s River Report: Improvements Across the Watershed

Good news in this week’s river report. Here it is by the numbers:

🗺️ 0% – Severe Drought in the basin: Today’s U.S. Drought Monitor map shows no Severe Drought conditions in the watershed, a nice improvement over last week. A broad swath of moderate drought runs through the center of the watershed, while most of the remaining area remains abnormally dry.

🌊3030 cubic feet per second (cfs): Flow at the USGS Point of Rocks gage is slightly above median.

☔ -8.5 inches: The region’s rain deficit for the past year, which improved from last week.

🔮 Up to 2 inches: The amount of rain forecasted over the next week, with the higher amounts expected to hit the south-east section of the basin.

Small Systems Roundtable in Moorefield, WV, Brings Potomac Partners Together

ICPRB and the Potomac River Basin Drinking Water Source Protection Partnership (DWSPP) recently brought together drinking water professionals and partners for a Small Water Supply Systems Roundtable focused on the unique needs and experiences of smaller water systems in the Potomac basin.

The gathering created an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas, learn about available resources, and connect with other water professionals working throughout the region.

The event reflected DWSPP’s broader mission of bringing utilities and government partners together to strengthen source water protection throughout the basin.

The day included discussions on source water protection, harmful algal blooms, agricultural best management practices, funding opportunities, spill response and modeling, and watershed protection, along with a tour of the Moorefield water treatment facility. Just as importantly, participants had time to learn from one another and identify successes, challenges, and opportunities that many small systems face. The strong participation and lively discussion made the roundtable a success and demonstrated the value of making sure small systems have a seat at the table in basin-wide source water protection efforts.