Potomac News Reservoir – Oct. 1, 2026 >>>

Rapid River Report

🗺️ The U.S. Drought Monitor Map released this morning is finally showing some improvement over previous weeks. The area in moderate drought was reduced from 33% to 23%. Around 40% of the watershed is abnormally dry.

🌊 After a nice bump last week, flow at the USGS gage at Point of Rocks is headed back down to around 2,200 cubic feet per second, which is near the median for this time of year.

☔ 0.25 – 1.25 inches of rain is expected in the watershed over the next week.

Celebrating the Source

It if officially one of our favorite weeks of the year: Source Water Protection Week!

A whole week that we celebrate protecting where our drinking water comes from, which includes the Potomac River and it’s tributaries.

ICPRB and our partners are sharing photos, information, and tips on how you can protect drinking water.

Each day of the week has a different theme. Today is our ABC (Anything But a Cup) selfie day. ICPRB staff have been enjoying our tap water out of Anything But a Cup, and would love to see you shout-out your source water with a selfie! Share the photo as a comment on our Facebook or LinkedIn posts or use #ProtectThePotomac. The more creative, the better!

Looking for more ways to celebrate (and protect) your source water? Here are some simple steps you can take to make a difference:

🧤Volunteer at a cleanup event near you

💩 Pick up pet waste

❄️ Use less (or no!) winter salt

🌼 Choose native species in your landscaping

🏡 Eliminate fertilizer or pesticide use in your yard

ICPRB in the Community

Join us at one of these upcoming events:

• H2O Summit: Catching it at the Source (Wheaton, MD) – Oct. 13
• Walk in the Woods: Mussel Power (VA) – Oct. 17
• Walk in the Woods: Let’s be Smart About Winter Salt – NW Branch Anacostia (MD) – Nov. 7