River Report: Remaining Steady(ish)
Ups and downs
Notice something interesting about the flow at the Point of Rocks gage?
The daily fluctuations are a result of upstream hydroelectric dam operations to protect American eels. The dams are turned off at night during the annual American eel migration downstream (September to December). This keeps the slippery little fish from getting caught up in dam machinery as they make their way to sea to spawn. As a result, the flows downstream fluctuate in this predictable daily pattern.
Join ICPRB’s upcoming webinar on November 18, Unsung Heroes of the Potomac River: American Eels, to learn more about American Eels. The event is just one of a series of webinars celebrating ICPRB’s 85th anniversary.
Drought Report
📝 No rainfall occurred in the basin over the past 24 hours, according to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center.
🔮No rainfall is expected in the next 3 days. The week-long outlook expects a total of approximately 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain in the basin, with localized areas predicted to see up to 2 inches of rain.
🗺️The U.S Drought Monitor map released this morning shows a 6% increase in moderate drought conditions (light orange) over last week while the severe and extreme drought conditions remain steady.
Welcoming new members to the ICPRB team!
Please join us in welcoming new members to the ICPRB team.
Mary Stack recently joined the ICPRB team as the Water Quality Data Manager at the Chesapeake Bay Program, bringing a B.S. in Geology from Boston College and an M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia.
She manages the water quality datasets housed in the Chesapeake Environmental Data Repository (CEDR), ensuring that the data is accessible, accurate, and actionable for decision-making.
Prior to joining our team, Mary directed watershed monitoring initiatives at the Shaw Institute in Maine, conducted water quality data collection and management at Hot Springs National Park, and supported coastal monitoring projects with the Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER). She also contributed to geospatial watershed studies in Arctic environments at Toolik Field Station in Alaska and led climate research on coastal Antarctic storm and sea ice dynamics with the Palmer LTER.
Garett Pignotti has joined ICPRB as an Environmental Scientist. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University in Ecological Sciences and Engineering and has previously worked at Washington State University Vancouver and as an ORISE Fellow at the U.S. Forest Service.
Garett has experience working in agricultural, forested, and urban systems to evaluate the effects of climate and land use change on water quantity and quality at the watershed scale. He uses a combination of sensor data, modeling, and satellite observations to understand how water, energy, and nutrient cycles are changing and the implications for their management.
Originally from Orlando, Florida, Garett is excited to support ICPRB’s efforts in improving and securing the basin’s natural resources and, hopefully, escaping his Florida man label.
Mary took over for Mike Mallonee, who managed vital data at the Chesapeake Bay Program for the past 17 years until his retirement last month. Garett has stepped into the shoes of Andrea Nagel, who retired this summer after 24 years at ICPRB. We wish them both a Happy Retirement! 🎊
ICPRB in the community
Please join ICPRB for our webinar series highlighting the past, present, and future of our nation’s river in celebration of our 85th anniversary.
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Oct. 30: Webinar: Who Owns the Potomac? (Speaker: Michael Nardolilli, Executive Director of ICPRB)
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Nov. 1 – Walk in the Woods: Let’s be Smart About Winter Salt – Sligo Creek (Takoma Park, MD)
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Nov. 6: Webinar: Water Impacts from Data Centers (Speaker: Dr. Alimatou Seck, Senior Water Resources Scientist of ICPRB)
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Nov. 18: Webinar: Unsung Heroes of the Potomac River: American Eels (Gordon “Mike” Selckmann, Associate Director of Aquatic Biology, ICPRB)
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Dec. 2: Webinar: Reconsidering Connectivity: A North Branch Potomac Case Study (Gordon “Mike” Selckmann, Associate Director of Aquatic Biology, ICPRB)
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Dec. 9: Webinar: The Future of Water in the DC Metro Area (Speaker: Dr. Cherie Schultz, Director, CO-OP Operations of ICPRB)