River Report: Looking at the data on rain, drought, and flow
A lot of yellow, brown, and orange in the graphs this week.
Rain: Since November, the Potomac River basin has received only 12 inches of rain, which is 6 inches below average. Some relief is in the forecast, with 2-4 inches of rain expected over the next week.
Drought: The basin is DRY with 57% of the area in Moderate Drought and 30% in Severe Drought.
Flow: The river’s flow at the USGS gage at Point of Rocks is around 4500 cubic feet per second (cfs). The lowest recorded flow at this time of year is 3000 cfs in 1896.
ICPRB’s Section for Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) will be publishing the Water Supply Outlook for May in the coming days. Want to get a notification when the report comes out? Let us know.
As a reminder, the Metropolitan Washington area remains in the Drought Watch declared by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments last summer. This means that authorities are asking folks to use water wisely.
Call for Speakers and Posters for upcoming HABs conference
The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) is calling for speaker and poster abstracts for the 2025 Potomac River Conference: Integrating Science, Policy, and Communications to Combat Harmful Algal Blooms. The conference will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at George Mason University’s Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center in Woodbridge, VA.
The conference will expound on the science, policy, management, and public communications of freshwater harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Potomac River basin and beyond. We are seeking presenters to share their expertise in these and related areas. If you are interested in speaking at the conference or presenting a poster, please complete the submission form. Abstracts are due by the end of the day on June 13, 2025.
This is the fourth annual Potomac River Conference produced by ICPRB. Previous conference subjects included PFAS and Invasive Species.
Not interested in speaking but would like to stay informed about the event? Complete the signup form to get notified when conference registration opens. Registration is expected to open at the end of the summer.
Submit an abstract to speak or present a poster at the conference >>>
Please contact ICPRB if you have any questions.