River report: Drought monitoring suspended, for now
You may recall from previous newsletters that the USGS Point of Rocks gage has been out of commission due to the freeze. This is important because ICPRB uses that flow as the threshold for our drought monitoring activities. We’re excited to announce that it is finally out of the deep freeze and currently flow is 11,400 cfs, which is right around the historical median and well above our 2,000 cfs monitoring threshold. Additionally, up to an inch of rain is expected over the next 3 days.
CO-OP staff suspended drought monitoring activities this morning.
Today’s U.S. Drought Monitor Map isn’t as cheery with 90% of the basin in severe drought conditions.
Potomac Interceptor
Both the DC Department of Energy and Environment and the Virginia Department of Health have recently released advisories. As a reminder, drinking water has not been impacted by the spill.
A few additional items to note:
While it seems obvious that you should avoid raw sewage, there are some other ways you can help the Potomac Interceptor situation that may not be as intuitive:
🚽 Never flush disposable wipes, even if they are claim to be “flushable”. There is no such thing as flushable wipes!
🍳 Can the grease, don’t put it down the drain.
If your sewer goes through the Potomac Interceptor, wipes and grease can clog the pumps, creating additional spills.
Find more updates on the spill in the news items below.
From planning to action: A Potomac basin case study
While many don’t even realize river basin commissions exist, they in fact play a vital part in regional sustainable water resources management. This is showcased in a recent publication authored by ICPRB’s director of program operations, Dr. Heidi Moltz, which focuses on the stakeholder-driven iterative planning process of the Potomac River Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan. The paper highlights the water resource management values important to ICPRB — voluntary, science-based, and locally grounded collaboration. The Comprehensive Plan was designed to be a long-term plan but also evolve over time to address issues at the scale at which they occur.
The paper, From Planning to Action: Advancing Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Potomac Basin, was published in the February edition of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
ICPRB is Hiring: Dir. of Finance and Administration
ICPRB has extended the application period for the Director of Finance and Administration. We are currently looking for someone to join our senior leadership team in Rockville, MD. This role leads ICPRB’s finance, HR, and administrative operations in support of our mission to protect and conserve the Potomac River basin through interstate cooperation. CPA certification is required.