We want rain, we were just hoping it wouldn’t come this Saturday morning for our Walk in the Woods in Frederick, MD. Unfortunately, the October 14 hike has been rescheduled due to the rainy forecast. Please stay tuned for a new date.
In the meantime, you can still sign up for future Walk in the Woods on our Eventbrite page.
ICPRB’s director of program operations, Dr. Heidi Moltz, has been elected as chair of the board of directors of the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP).
“I am honored and excited to collaborate with ICWP members to improve water resources management and planning policy nationwide. The ICWP mission to enhance the stewardship of the nation’s water resources aligns with our mission to protect and enhance the waters and related resources of the Potomac River basin through science, regional cooperation, and education,” says Dr. Moltz.
Dr. Moltz directs the water resources, aquatic life, and water quality programs at ICPRB, including overseeing the 2023 5-year review of the Potomac Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan.
**SPECIAL NOTICE: We want rain, we were just hoping it wouldn’t come this Saturday morning for our Walk in the Woods in Frederick, MD. Unfortunately, the Frederick hike has been rescheduled due to the rainy forecast. Please stay tuned for a new date. You can still sign up for future Walk in the Woods on our Eventbrite page.**
Unfortunately, we are falling into dry conditions, again.
Due to low flows in the Potomac River, ICPRB’s Section for Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) reinitiated daily drought monitoring last week. Low flows on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River prompted the town of Front Royal, Virginia, to enact mandatory water conservation measures while other areas are still requesting voluntary water conservation.
During drought monitoring, CO-OP staff provide a daily report of weather conditions, river flow, and water demands. If flows drop further, staff will kick into a higher gear with Drought Operations, providing a twice-daily report to water suppliers and evaluate the need to release water from our upstream reservoirs.
Follow the daily drought monitoring report using the hashtag #droughtmonitoring on Twitter/X.
The final Water Supply Outlook of 2023, was published last week. The Washington metro area has an above-normal probability of releases from its backup water supply reservoirs this season. Additionally, groundwater wells have been slow to recover from the dry summer and spring.
Most importantly, the report notes that currently the river’s flow is adequate to meet the water demands of the region without requiring releases from upstream reservoirs. The region has drought-contingency plans to ensure water supply reliability and prevent shortages.
ICPRB’s director of program operations, Dr. Heidi Moltz, has been elected as chair of the board of directors of the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP).
“I am honored and excited to collaborate with ICWP members to improve water resources management and planning policy nationwide. The ICWP mission to enhance the stewardship of the nation’s water resources aligns with our mission to protect and enhance the waters and related resources of the Potomac River basin through science, regional cooperation, and education,” says Dr. Moltz.
Dr. Moltz directs the water resources, aquatic life, and water quality programs at ICPRB, including overseeing the 2023 5-year review of the Potomac Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan.
ICPRB’s Section for Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac publish the Water Supply Outlook on a monthly basis between April and October of each year. It provides an update on the possibility of water supply releases from the area’s reservoirs based on long-term precipitation data, flows, and other information for the Potomac basin.
Summary/Conclusions
The Washington metropolitan area has an above-normal probability of releases from its backup water supply reservoirs for the fall of 2023. These releases typically occur in response to low flows resulting from insufficient summer precipitation and low groundwater levels. Due to a dry period, CO-OP Drought Operations occurred from August 25th to September 11th. However, the Potomac basin saw some relief after several rainfall events produced 4.3 inches of precipitation for September, exceeding the monthly average by 0.5 inches. Little Falls’ adjusted stream flows reached a low of 533 million gallons per day (MGD), peaked above average, and are now within the 10th to 50th percentile flow range. Groundwater levels have been slower to recover, and many wells used in ICPRB’s low-flow outlook are now approaching normal levels. This trend is also reflected in the U.S. Drought Monitor, with reduced areas in the basin in the abnormally dry, moderate drought, and severe drought categories. NOAA’s U.S. Seasonal Outlook remains optimistic about drought conditions improving. As flows return to median levels, Point of Rocks has reverted to a flow rate of approximately 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). This flow rate coincides with the established Daily Monitoring threshold, and on October 4th, the CO-OP Section resumed its daily drought monitoring and reporting. Currently, the Potomac River’s flows are adequate to meet the water demands of the Washington metropolitan area without requiring releases from upstream reservoirs. The region has drought-contingency plans to ensure water supply reliability and prevent shortages.
Click here to visit the Water Supply Outlook page for the full report >>>
ICPRB’s Section for Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) was established to serve as a cooperative technical center on water resources in the Potomac basin.
The River Report – Drought Monitoring Initiated, Again
While some cities around the region are lifting their drought warnings, ICPRB staff are still anxiously watching for signs of a continued drought.
River flows have fallen and ICPRB staff are busy, yet again, with the daily drought monitoring. Our daily report to water suppliers details the flow, water use, and weather in the region.
Our final Water Supply Outlook of the season is expected to be published later this afternoon. Preliminary findings indicate an October that will be hotter and drier than normal.
Please remember to practice wise water use in your everyday life, such as turning off the faucet when not using it or shortening showers.
Nature’s Magic Trick: Disappearing and Reappearing Rivers
ICPRB scientists are using harmless food-grade dye and carbon packs to discover underground secrets. The tools are used to map the path groundwater takes from one stream to another, exploring the areas where water is sinking into the ground and then rising back up. The specific color and accumulation of dye will reveal how groundwater streams are interconnected.
The project, taking place in the Cacapon River in West Virginia, is part of a larger quest to map underground stream connections and understand nutrient flow paths. Having a deeper understanding of how nutrients move within our watersheds will help us better address algae and harmful algal blooms.
The final report is expected to be out in the fall of 2024.
Conditions are improving. After a month of drought operations and drought monitoring, rain in the basin is now 1 inch above normal for the month of September. We were able to suspend drought monitoring on Monday due to rising river flows. Additionally, the recent U.S. Drought Monitor has shown improvement in drought conditions across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Even with the recent rain, some municipalities in the western part of the Potomac basin are still encouraging people to be water wise as we recover from a the dry spring and summer seasons.
We are no longer providing a daily report to downstream water suppliers on flow, water consumption, and weather conditions. However, if the river flow falls below our drought monitoring threshold of 2,000 cubic feet per second at the Point of Rocks USGS gage, we will resume drought monitoring operations.
The 2nd annual Potomac River Conference was held last week. The event featured speakers from government agencies, academia, and nonprofit organizations. They highlighted trends in the Potomac basin, regional resilience, government innovations, on-the-ground implementation, as well as equity and environmental justice considerations for climate change in the Potomac River basin.
Find the videos, presentations, and posters on our website.
We would like to thank the numerous organizations and individuals who provided their support, knowledge, and elbow grease to make this event happen, including the staff at Fairfax Water where it was held.
We are currently looking for sponsors to help make the 2024 Potomac River Conference another successful symposium. Please let us know if your organization might be interested.
The 2nd annual Potomac River Conference was hosted by ICPRB and held at Fairfax Water in Lorton, Virginia, on Thursday, September 21, 2023. The event highlighted trends in the Potomac basin, regional resilience, government innovations, on-the-ground implementation, as well as equity and environmental justice considerations for climate change in the Potomac River basin.
The 2023 Potomac River Conference was dedicated to Curtis Dalpra, who passed away in March of 2023. During his long tenure in the Communications Department at ICPRB, Curtis was always willing to share his knowledge of the basin and its storied past. During his 41 years at ICPRB, he championed good stewardship of the Potomac River. Let us all continue that legacy.
A video of the conference and links to the presentations can be found below.
Session 1: Opening
Moderator – Michael Nardolilli, ICPRB
Session 2: Trends in the Potomac Basin
Moderator – Chris Jones, GMU
Session 3: Regional Resilience
Moderator – Pam Kenel, Loudoun Water
At the end of Session 3, we took a moment to share reflections on Curtis Dalpra while a slideshow of photos were played on the screen.
Session 4: Government Innovation
Moderator – Jeffery Seltzer, DOEE
Christopher Beck (MDE); Erin Garnaas-Holmes (DOEE); Katherine Rainone (MWCOG); Megan Porta (PA DEP)
Session 5: Implementation
Moderator – Steve DeRidder, Berkeley County PSWD
Session 6: Closing
Michael Nardolilli, ICPRB Executive Director
Poster Session
After weeks of conducting intense Drought Operations while watching the river flow decline, we received almost 2 inches of rain over the past 7 days.
The river flow increased enough for us to shift to a more-lowkey drought monitoring, which includes one daily report to downstream water suppliers.
This morning’s drought monitoring report noted, “River flows at Point of Rocks and Little Falls have increased to the median values and are now beginning to recede.” There is no rain expected in the next 7 days.
Many areas in the western part of the basin are still in drought warning or emergency. We continue to see new consequences from the dry conditions, including a mostly-contained wildfire in the Shenandoah National Park and a newly unveiled, historical dam underneath the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.
On Tuesday, commissioners and staff attended our annual business meeting at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC). The meeting commenced with a land acknowledgement by the NCTC’s director before the CO-OP meeting and a welcome speech from the mayor of Shepherdstown, West Virginia before the ICPRB business meeting. During the meeting, the commissioners elected new officials, learned about new drought modeling capabilities, and voted on updates to the Low Flow Allocation Agreement.
Commissioner Susan Weaver, representative of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was elected as the 2024 chairperson. We would like to thank the outgoing chair, Commissioner Robert Sussman, representative of the federal government, for his hard work moving ICPRB forward over the past year.
Since this was our first in-person meeting since the pandemic, we took the opportunity to honor the commissioners that have joined us in the past few years by presenting each new commissioner with an official ICPRB pin.
The meeting was followed by an informative guided tree walk around the grounds. More photos of the event can be found on our Facebook post.
Commissioners (from left to right): Lee Currey (MD), Catherine McCabe (MD), Robert Sussman (Fed.), Scott Morris (VA), Mindy Neil (WV), Susan Weaver (PA), and Will Willis (PA)
The Commissioners of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) have elected Susan Weaver, representative of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as ICPRB’s chairperson for 2024. Weaver is a Program Manager at the Office of Water Programs of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Previously, Weaver served as the vice chair of ICPRB.
ICPRB’s executive director, Michael Nardolilli, states, “Pennsylvania may only be 10% of the Potomac River basin, but it is an important part of the river’s headwaters. We look forward to working closely with Chairperson Weaver and her team.”
The ICPRB is represented by three commissioners and three alternate commissioners from each of the five signatory jurisdictions (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania) and the federal government. Each year, the chairperson of ICPRB rotates among the jurisdictions.
The ICPRB Commissioners have selected Scott Morris, representative of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to serve as vice chairperson.
The outgoing chairperson is Robert Sussman, representative of the federal government. Nardolilli noted, “We would like to thank Chairperson Robert Sussman for his hard work and dedication to ICPRB and our mission of protecting and preserving the Potomac River through science and cooperation.”
The ICPRB is an interstate compact commission established by Congress in 1940. Its mission is to protect and enhance the waters and related resources of the Potomac River basin through science, regional cooperation, and education. Represented by appointed commissioners, the ICPRB includes the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the federal government.
The river flow is low, but there might be some small relief in the future. The long-term forecasts call for 1 to 2 inches of rain. The trajectory of Tropical Storm Lee is still up the air, but it could bring some rain as it heads our way.
We’re starting to see some consequences from the dry weather, like a possible lackluster leaf peeping season, docked Canal boats, and fishing prohibited at the Shenandoah National Park.
Some communities across the watershed are asking people to conserve. Front Royal (VA) has enacted emergency water conservation rules which bans activities like filling pools, washing cars, and watering outdoor plants. Gettysburg (PA) and the City of Frederick (MD) have requested voluntary reductions in water use. Purcellville (VA) noted dry wells and creeks when it asked customers to conserve. The Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River compiled a list of drought advisories in the Shenandoah region in their recent newsletter.
It is always a good idea to use water wisely, but if you are curious about the situation at your own tap, we suggest checking with your water utility.
ICPRB is continuing Drought Operations with twice daily reports to water suppliers on the river’s flow, water use, and weather forecasts. This intense monitoring will continue until flows increase. At this point, our technical staff have not recommended releases from upstream reservoirs. Follow the conversation on Twitter and Facebook using #DroughtOperations.
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