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)

The ICPRB Second Quarter Business Meeting is coming up on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. The meeting will be held virtually on Teams. Commissioners will discuss progress made on the Low Flow Allocation Agreement and hear from ICPRB scientists about consumptive water use by data centers. Find the draft agenda on our Business Meetings site on our webpage.

The public is invited to view the virtual meeting or provide public comment. Please contact us by Friday, March 14, for more information on how to attend.

Celebrating Black scientists, a new River Report, heat records shattered, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb 20, 2025 >>>

Celebrating Black History Month

It’s Black History Month. No matter what we look like or where we come from, we all have many visionary minds to thank for today’s scientific progress.

These five pioneers have made lasting impacts to the water we depend upon. Their years of labor and sacrifice continue to impact engineering, science, and conservation work today.

Solomon Brown (1812–1906) was born free at a time when slavery was still legal in the District of Columbia. Solomon Brown was the first Black employee at the Smithsonian Institution. “Professor Brown” as he was called, was a natural historian, illustrator, poet, and philosopher who helped lay the foundation for environmental studies at the Smithsonian.

Marguerite Williams (1895–1991) was a pioneering geologist, the first African American to earn a doctorate in geology in the United States. Williams, a Washington DC native, studied erosion in the Anacostia Basin for her dissertation. Her work greatly contributed to the understanding of how groundwater in the Potomac River Basin interacts with surrounding ecosystems. The Marquerite T. Williams Award is presented annually to mid-career scientists by the American Geophysical Union in her honor.

Emmett Chappelle (1925–2019) was a biochemist and astrobiologist best known for his development of his discovery that single-celled organisms, such as algae, have the ability to photosynthesize i.e., convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen — a characteristic previously attributed only to plants. This work extended to launching plants into space to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and to create artificial oxygen (and food) supply systems for astronauts in spacecrafts. He also made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the bioluminescence of organisms, such as fireflies and other marine animals.

Gladys West (b. 1930) is a mathematician and technology pioneer whose work contributed to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and remote sensing, directly influencing modern mapping and water resources engineering. Gladys began her career on the Potomac River, at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, Virginia, where she was a skilled mathematician and computer programmer.

Mamie Parker (b. 1953) is a highly regarded pioneer in the conservation field. She was the first Black woman to serve as the Assistant Director of Fisheries and Habitat Conservation and the first to lead a USFWS regional office, covering 13 northeastern states. Her conservation work has made a lasting impact on aquatic life in the Potomac Basin.

Thank you to these five American scientists.

River Report

It seems the recent rain and snow events have dampened the drought for a good portion of the watershed. It’s nice to see some white in today’s drought map. It has been a while since we have seen a U.S. Drought Monitor map of the Potomac River watershed that wasn’t fully splashed with red, orange, or yellow.

The southwest section of the basin is out of drought status (white), while 26% is abnormally dry (yellow), 45% is in moderate drought (light brown), and a tiny sliver of the southeast remains in severe drought (orange).

Precipitation as a whole is still low for the winter. We have seen 3.4 inches of precipitation below average since last August.

As of this morning, the river’s flow at the USGS Point of Rocks gage is 17,500 cubic feet per second. The flow has remained above the historical median since the beginning of February.

ICPRB’s new spill number, resources on PFAS, trout stocking, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb 6, 2025 >>>

**IMPORTANT – ICPRB has changed their spill reporting phone number to 773-913-8462. When there is a contaminant spill in the river, please first call the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center at 800-424-8802 and then call ICPRB’s hotline at 773-913-8462.**

Partnering to Protect our Drinking Water

Coordinated by ICPRB, the Potomac River Basin Drinking Water Source Protection Partnership (DWSPP) is a coalition of government agencies and water utilities working together to protect the sources of our drinking water.

At yesterday’s quarterly meeting, the group heard from regional jurisdictions regarding their organization’s response to PFAS, a manmade chemical that is known to be toxic in minute quantities and remain in the environment (water, soil, etc.) for a long time.

In addition to hearing from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia representatives, members learned about the interactive monitoring map in the Maryland Department of the Environment’s PFAS Monitoring and Mitigation is a Priority for Maryland StoryMap and Virginia’s Department of the Environmental Quality’s water quality monitoring map.

Learn more about DWSPP’s work in the recently published 2024 Annual Report >>>

Wrapping up Winter Salt Awareness Week

That’s a wrap on the 2025 Winter Salt Awareness Week. It was a busy week for ICPRB and our partners who spread the word (not the salt!) on the negative impacts of winter salt.

On Wednesday, ICPRB staff joined representatives from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia for a webinar discussing the successes and challenges the region faces in addressing this issue, as well as what residents can do to to make a difference.

On Thursday, ICPRB worked with Mayor Michael O’Connor of the City of Frederick, MD, to proclaim the week of January 27-31, 2025, Winter Salt Awareness Week for Frederick. The event was paired with an educational presentation by ICPRB and City staff to science and English students at Frederick High School on the impacts of winter salt and actions they can take to make a difference. The students got the chance to design art for a snow plow blade that will be used by the City of Frederick’s Department of Public Works to educate the public on this issue. See more photos >>>

On Friday, ICPRB joined our partners at the Winter Salt Awareness Open House at the headquarters of the Izaak Walton League of America in Gaithersburg, MD. We invited media, the public, and organizations who work to protect our waterways. The audience learned about what these organizations are doing to reduce the amount of winter salt we use on our roads and sidewalks while still maintaining public safety.  A test of the stream on the property showed winter salt literally off the charts after the recent rain. See more photos >>>

These events as well as a series of national webinars were part of a national awareness campaign organized by Wisconsin Salt Wise.

To spread the word with business owners, condo associations, HOAs, or property managers, please share these upcoming trainings:

• Contracting with Road Salt Applicators: Keeping Your Wallet, Drinking Water, and the Environment in Mind – Webinar on March 17 for business owners, property managers, homeowners and condo association board members, and others who contract with road salt applicators and snow removal companies.

• Smart Salting: Enhanced Winter Maintenance Training Series (date TBD) through the Maryland Department of the Environment for property managers, business owners, landscaping companies, and other private contractors/salt applicators interested in effective ice melting strategies that protect the environment while also maintaining profitability and meeting customer expectations.

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REMINDER: If you believe you have information related to the recovery efforts of the plane crash in the Potomac or Anacostia rivers or on the shore, immediately call 911. Do not touch or remove the item(s). This is critical to supporting the impacted families and investigation.