Potomac News Reservoir – August 6, 2026 >>>

The Week’s River Report

Earlier this week ICPRB initiated daily Drought Monitoring due to low flows in the Potomac River.

Staff in ICPRB’s Section for Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) begins daily Drought Monitoring when flow at the USGS stream gage at Point of Rocks, Maryland, falls below 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

During Drought Monitoring, CO-OP staff send out daily email reports to stakeholders, including water suppliers and government agencies, summarizing the river’s flow, weather predictions, and how much water the region is using on a daily basis.

Summary of today’s report:

🌊 Rainfall over the past few days has not raised Potomac River flows significantly. Flow at USGS Point of Rocks gage is 1780 cubic feet per second.

🔮 0.1 to 1.0 inches of rain is predicted over the next 3 days. (MARFC)

A summary of the daily report will also be posted on ICPRB’s socials using #DroughtMonitoring. Find a link to the full report on ICPRB’s Drought Monitoring and Operations website.

Established in the 1970s, CO-OP helps manage the Washington metropolitan area water supply system by recommending and coordinating releases from upstream reservoirs when forecasted flow in the river is not sufficient to meet expected needs.

At present, there is sufficient flow in the Potomac River to meet Washington metropolitan area’s water demands without releases from upstream reservoirs. If low‐flow conditions worsen, the metro area is well‐protected from a water supply shortage through well-established contingency plans, which includes CO-OPs drought monitoring and operations protocols.

🗺️ Today’s U.S. Drought Monitor Map shows a slight improvement in drought conditions over last week, with the most marked improvement seen in the Washington metro region and south along the I-95 corridor, which upgraded from moderate drought to abnormally dry conditions.

Watershed Management Conference Next Week

The American Society of Civil Engineers / Environmental & Water Resources Institute 2026 Watershed Management Conference: Advancing Resiliency is coming up next week, August 9-12, in Reston, Virginia. The 2026 program builds on the strong foundation laid in past conferences and introduces new themes around resiliency and watershed management innovations. It will feature technical sessions, policy discussions, and field experiences that bring together practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers. Click here to register >>>