Situational Awareness (Thursday, 2026-02-19)
Today, CO-OP is suspending its daily drought monitoring and reporting. This phase of CO-OP’s drought response is triggered when daily Potomac River flow at the USGS’s Point of Rocks gage falls below 2000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Ice is no longer affecting the USGS gage at Point of Rocks and river flow measurements have become available again. Initial measurements were over 5,500 cfs and have risen over the past 24 hours. Additionally, MARFC predictions anticipate between 0.5 and 1 inch of precipitation over the next 3 days.
We want to express our appreciation to all of the people who provide us with the data we use in our reports: Washington metropolitan area water suppliers at Fairfax Water, Washington Aqueduct, WSSC Water, and Loudoun Water, and also our partner organizations, the US Geological Survey and the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center.
Special Conditions
None
Daily flows:
Little Falls gage flow 2026-02-18: 4873 MGD (7540 cfs)
Little Falls gage flow 2026-02-19: 5668 MGD (est., based on recently available real-time data) (8770 cfs)
Note: Gage flow at Little Falls is measured after water supply withdrawals.
Point of Rocks flow 2026-02-18: 3990 MGD (6173 cfs)
Point of Rocks flow 2026-02-19: 7174 MGD (est., based on recently available real-time data) (11100 cfs)
Yesterday's estimated daily flows:
Great Falls estimated flow 2026-02-18: 4873 MGD (7540 cfs)
Note: Estimated flow below Great Falls intake is flow at Little Falls plus Little Falls water supply withdrawal.
Yesterday's Washington metropolitan area Potomac River withdrawals and discharges (2026-02-18):
Fairfax Water Corbalis withdrawal - Potomac: 83 MGD
WSSC Water Potomac withdrawal: 154 MGD
Washington Aqueduct withdrawal - Great Falls: 128 MGD
Washington Aqueduct withdrawal - Little Falls: 0 MGD
Loudoun Water withdrawal: 9 MGD
Loudoun Water Broad Run discharge: 9 MGD
Total Potomac withdrawal: 373 MGD
Total net Potomac withdrawal: 365 MGD
Loudoun Water Potomac River (PR) flow values for drought operations protocol (based on yesterday's flows):
QPR: 6173 cfs
QPR, obs:6173 cfs
QPR, WS: 0 cfs
Note to Loudoun Water: See NWS ensemble flow forecasts (HEFS, GEFS, NAEFS) for Point of Rocks flow for the next 7 days – https://www.weather.gov/erh/mmefs_marfc?id=PORM2&model=NAEFS. See US Army Corps of Engineers Potomac River Basin page for observed releases from Savage and Jennings Randolph reservoirs - https://water.usace.army.mil/office/nab/; See US Army Corps of Engineers North Branch Potomac River and Savage River page for scheduled releases - https://water.usace.army.mil/office/nab/releases/north-branch.
Note: Potomac River flow at Point of Rocks has dropped below the low-flow threshold of 2,000 cfs. When this occurs, per the Water Supply Coordination Agreement of 1982, CO-OP begins daily monitoring and reporting of Potomac flows and withdrawals on behalf of the CO-OP suppliers, Fairfax Water, Washington Aqueduct, and WSSC Water. Suppliers can review data at CO-OP's Data Portal at www.icprbcoop.org. Reports formatted in approved templates should be submitted by email to coop@icprb.org by 8:00 am for automated processing. Published monitoring reports are at http://icprbcoop.org/products/monitoring-reports.