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The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin is celebrating 85 years of protecting and preserving the Potomac River watershed. Much has happened since ICPRB was authorized by Congress in 1940, so please join us for this webinar series highlighting the past, present, and future of our nation’s river.
A recording of the webinar will be posted to ICPRB’s YouTube page after the event.
Webinars
Who Owns the Potomac?
Thursday, October 30, 11:00am
Speaker: Michael Nardolilli, Executive Director of ICPRB
Why are the state boundary lines along the Potomac River so irregular? Why doesn’t the line run neatly down the middle of the river, as it does in many other states? Join ICPRB to learn about the fascinating story behind the Potomac’s peculiar borders involves colonial land grants, centuries-old legal disputes, and evolving interpretations of land and water rights.
Water Impacts from Data Centers
Speaker: Dr. Alimatou Seck, Senior Water Resources Scientist of ICPRB
Thursday, November 6, 11:00am
Data centers are rapidly expanding across the Potomac watershed and beyond, raising important questions about their impacts on regional water resources. This webinar will share the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin’s research on data center consumptive use under different growth scenarios through 2050, evaluating implications for regional water supply reliability and long-term planning. The findings provide insights to help decision-makers and stakeholders navigate the intersection of water, energy, technology, and infrastructure in support of regional resilience.
Unsung Heroes of the Potomac River: American Eels
Speaker: Gordon “Mike” Selckmann, Associate Director of Aquatic Biology, ICPRB
Tuesday, November 18, 11:00am
American eels have a long and important history in the Potomac River basin. Join ICPRB to learn about their historical importance to the region, their fascinating life cycle, and their importance to both water quality and the ecosystem. Also hear about ICPRB’s work to help restore these fish (yes, they are fish!) to their native range.
Reconsidering Connectivity: A North Branch Potomac Case Study
Speaker: Gordon “Mike” Selckmann, Associate Director of Aquatic Biology, ICPRB
Tuesday December 2, 11:00am
The North Branch of the Potomac River has come a long way. Arguably best known for its industrial recent past, this webinar puts the current state of the western-most Potomac region into perspective. Starting with the geological formation of the mountains, we will then tour the North Branch watershed through time and space, describing the pre-colonial period, the industrialized period, and ending at the current state of the region. Given all discussed we ask “what’s next for this region?”
ICPRB Land Use Webinar: Land Prioritization Mapping to Protect Drinking Water Quality (2025)
Friday, December 5, 12:00 pm
Speaker: Renee Thompson, Water Resources Planner and Megan McClaugherty, Ecological Technician and GIS Specialist both from ICPRB
The Land Prioritization Mapping to Protect Drinking Water Quality (2025 Update) ranks land parcels in specific Mid-Atlantic states to protect drinking water quality and their potential to degrade long-term water quality.
The question asked in this five-year update remains the same as the original 2020 project, “Which parcels of land should be conserved to be most beneficial to drinking water?” However, the scope of this updated tool is much larger. Instead of focusing just on the Potomac River basin as the 2020 tool had done, the 2025 map was expanded to include the entirety of the states in which the basin sits—the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
This project provides a robust, data-driven framework for identifying parcels critical to drinking water source protection. By integrating multiple geospatial metrics and offering flexible visualization options, the tool supports informed land conservation decisions. High priority areas were identified across the study area and for individual counties for better usability. Users across the region can combine this drinking water perspective with other conservation priorities to identify win-win opportunities to achieve multiple protection objectives.
The Future of Water in the DC Metro Area
Speaker: Dr. Cherie Schultz, Director, CO-OP Operations of ICPRB
Tuesday, December 9, 11am
What does the future hold for our region’s water supply? Every 5 years ICPRB publishes a report on the reliability of our water supply, forecasting decades into the future.
From extreme droughts to booming data centers, join the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin for a webinar as we break down the key findings of the upcoming 2025 Water Supply Reliability Study — a once-every-5-years report that looks decades into the future to ensure safe, reliable drinking water for the DC Metro area.