Drought map improvements; Recreational advisory expected to end soon; Do flushable wipes exist? No.; and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb. 26, 2026 >>>

River report: Drought Map improved

Flow at the USGS Point of Rocks gage got a bump from the recent rain. Additional rain is in the forecast for next week.

Finally some good news from the U.S. Drought Monitor map released this morning. Around 90% of the basin that was in severe drought conditions (dark orange) last week has been downgraded to moderate drought conditions (light orange). According to the map, 8% of the basin still remains in severe drought.

Potomac Interceptor Updates

There has been a jump in E. coli levels. In general, higher bacteria loads are expected across the basin after rain—especially following such a long dry spell—as pet waste, agricultural runoff, and other pollutants make their way down the river. This is also why it is generally advised to not swim in the river for several days after a storm.

The D.C. Department of Health is expecting to lift the recreational advisory as early as Monday. The Maryland Department of the Environment, in reference to downstream monitoring for shellfish harvesting, announced, “Pending further confirmation testing, a precautionary closure will be lifted on March 10.”

After a seemingly Herculean effort by DC Water staff, the rock and debris that blocked the damaged Potomac Interceptor is nearly complete, according to the water supplier. No overflows have been reported since February 8. Public outreach continues with a virtual briefing from COG (including a presentation from ICPRB’s Dr. Cherie Schultz) earlier this week and community meetings last night and tonight with DC Water.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton took the opportunity to tie the spill to the overall need to strengthen DC’s water supply resilience when she questioned Lt. Gen. William H. Graham at the recent Transportation & Infrastructure hearing. “Clean water is not optional; it is fundamental to public health and safety. This incident underscores the urgent need for a secondary drinking water source for the District so that residents are not left at the mercy of a single, aging system,” Norton said.

Find more updates in the news articles below.

River Basin Commissions and Data Centers: Planning for a Growing Industry with Intensive Water Demands

ICPRB Executive Director Michael Nardolilli recently joined his counterparts at our sister river commissions from the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers to author an article on municipal planning for data centers and their thirst for water. The article is featured in the Pennsylvania Municipal League’s “Municipal Reporter” newsletter, River Basin Commissions and Data Centers: Planning for a Growing Industry with Intensive Water Demands (page 37).

ICPRB’s 2nd Quarter Business Meeting coming up

The ICPRB FY26 Second Quarter Business Meeting is coming up on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. The meeting will be held at the first floor conference center at ICPRB headquarters in Rockville, MD.

Commissioners will hear a spotlight presentation on Chessie BIBI, learn more about the District Waterways Advisory Commission, and get general updates on ICPRB’s work. Find the draft agenda on our Business Meetings site on our webpage. The public is invited to attend the meeting or provide public comment. Please contact us by Friday, March 13 to register.

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.

Learn more >>>

Drought by the numbers ; And now, we sweep; Potomac Interceptor updates; and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb. 12, 2026 >>>

River report: Some rain in the forecast, but here are the numbers

Even though everything seems wet outside, here is the situation:

By the numbers

🗺️ 88% of the watershed in Severe Drought conditions.

🔮 0.1 – 0.5 inches of rain expected in the next 5 days.

🌧️ 10 inches of rain fell in the Potomac River watershed above Little Falls since last August, which is 8.2 inches below average (National Weather Service).

📰  39 counties and 16 cities in Virginia received a drought warning advisory from Virginia DEQ in a Feb. 9 press release.

🦀 2 Maryland regions in drought watch and 1 region in drought warning according to MDE.

Potomac Interceptor update

A reminder that there is no such thing as a “flushable” wipe. Disposable wipes should be disposed in the trash, not the toilet.

A Super Bowl-sized rush of disposable wipes clogged one of the pumps at the Potomac Interceptor pipe over the weekend resulting in several hundred gallons of additional spilled raw sewage.

Daily updates can be found on DC Water’s website.

Additionally, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network has created an interactive map of their testing results.

And now, we sweep! 🧹

We shoveled (or pickaxed!⛏️) the snow and ice, we sprinkled salt, and now we sweep!

We are excited to see that rain and warmer temperatures are in the forecast — but with that comes salty waterways. Winter salt is a permanent pollutant in our drinking water, it damages infrastructure, and harms aquatic life.

One simple action you can do to prevent water pollution is to sweep up winter salt before it is washed away by the upcoming spring(ish) rains.

So, if rain is expected in your area, be Winter Salt Smart by sweeping up the salt on your sidewalk or your driveway. You can even reuse it for the next storm!

If there is a large pile of salt in your neighborhood, let your municipality or HOA know so they can clean it up.

Celebrating women in STEM

February 11 is recognized as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, so we want to show our staff a little extra appreciation.

Many brilliant minds make up our team of scientists and engineers, including Dr. Alimatou Seck. Her recent work includes developing machine learning models for short-term urban water demand and assessing the water use impacts of emerging sectors such as data centers in the Potomac River basin. Yesterday, she was interviewed by NHK, the Japanese public media organization, about her research.

We are proud to have many highly skilled women on the ICPRB team, working each day to understand, address and plan ahead for the environmental challenges we face in the Potomac River watershed.

Won’t you be our Valentine?

Show the Potomac some love this Valentine’s Day!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn through Valentine’s Day to see more fun Potomac-themed Valentine cards.

Potomac Interceptor; Ice “blow out” expected; drought update; and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – Feb. 5, 2026 >>>

River report

Potomac Interceptor

Crews have been working around the clock in freezing conditions to address the break in the Potomac Interceptor line, a 72” pipe that carries raw sewage to the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant. The collapse on January 19 sent hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. The majority of the flow was contained by January 24 and DC Water has reported no over flow in the past few days.

The region’s drinking water is not impacted as the spill occurred below operational drinking water intakes.

Icy conditions are also complicating the monitoring efforts. According to DC Water, independent environmental experts are conducting ongoing water quality monitoring. More data is needed to establish a trend.

The Maryland Department of the Environment has issued a precautionary shellfish harvesting closure above the Rt. 301 bridge.

Authorities recommend avoiding contact with untreated sewage.

Other Updates of Interest

A “blow out” tide is expected along the tidal Potomac this weekend which could break up the ice and create dangerous conditions, so please use caution and stay off the ice.

WSSC Water has lifted the emergency restricted water use advisory that was implemented due to the frigid temperatures and risk of water main breaks.

Drought Update

Today’s U.S. Drought Monitor Map has the same percentages as last week, with 88% of the basin in Severe Drought conditions and the remaining in Moderate Drought conditions.

Rain in the basin is 7.9 inches below normal since last August.

According to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, no precipitation was recorded in the basin over the past 24 hours. Over the next 3 days, up to 0.10 inches is expected throughout the basin.

Flow data at Point of Rocks and at Little Falls is currently unavailable due to the presence of ice.

ICPRB’s CO-OP team continues Drought Monitoring activities with daily emails to water suppliers and government agencies with information on flow, weather, and water demands. Find a summary on our social media accounts using #droughtmonitoring.

New interactive map to identify areas vulnerable to stormwater runoff

ICPRB recently updated an interactive map, Susceptibility to Runoff Impacts in the Potomac Basin, to help developers, zoning agencies, and other land use decision-makers identify areas most vulnerable to the impacts of stormwater runoff.

Impervious surfaces (parking lots, roads, sidewalks, etc.) prevent rain from slowly seeping into the ground. Instead, water runs swiftly off the land and directly into nearby streams. This increases the likelihood of flooding, damages the physical structure of the stream leading to erosion and excess sediment in the water, and carries trash and chemicals to our waterways.

Some areas are more vulnerable to these impacts than others based on landscape factors such as soil characteristics and slope. The interactive map includes a new color-coded “susceptibility index” of areas that may be most impacted by runoff. Those who make decisions on land use in the basin can use the information as a factor in siting new development, anticipating the effects of planned development and/or identifying areas where mitigation efforts may prove useful.

The map was published as part of the implementation of the Potomac Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan. The science behind the map is documented in a peer-reviewed paper written by ICPRB staff and published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

That’s a wrap on Winter Salt Week!

A flurry of events and news in the past couple weeks raised awareness of the negative impacts of using too much winter salt. Both virtual and in-person events focused on everything from what residents can do to how to write a good snow removal contract and everything in between.

• Regional events:

  • Webinar: Safe Sidewalks, Clean Water for Residents

  • Webinar: Community Winter Salt Management

  • ICPRB News Release: Winter Salt Week Event Highlights Hidden Costs of Road Salt on Drinking Water and Rivers

• National webinars:

  • Freshwater Salinization

  • Salt Wise Stories

  • Smart Salting Contracts

  • Engineering Solutions

  • Advocating for Change

  • Salt Monitoring 101

Throughout the week, the message was clear: We can be Winter Salt Smart by following 3 easy steps

🪏 Shovel first

🧂 Sprinkle salt (only if needed)

🧹 Sweep it up once its done the job

Learn more at www.potomacriver.org/salt >>>