Monitoring Reports

During periods of drought, the Cooperative Water Supply Operations on the Potomac (CO-OP) helps manage the Washington metropolitan area water supply system by coordinating withdrawals from the Potomac River and off-river reservoirs and recommending releases from upstream reservoirs when forecasted flow in the river is not sufficient to meet expected needs. These needs include water demands and an environmental flow-by of 100 million gallons per day (MGD) on the Potomac River at Little Falls dam near Washington, D.C.

SUSPENDING DAILY MONITORING - Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Wednesday, 2023-11-22)

Submitted by admin1 on Wed, 11/22/2023 - 14:18

Situational Awareness (Wednesday, 2023-11-22)
CO-OP is suspending drought operations because flow at the US Geological Survey’s gage at Point of Rocks, Maryland, has risen above the daily monitoring threshold of 2000 cfs as the basin received an average of about 1.4 inches of rain yesterday.  Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center predictions indicate that flows are expected to remain above the daily monitoring threshold for at least the next 10 days.  

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Tuesday, 2023-11-21)

Submitted by admin1 on Tue, 11/21/2023 - 13:16

Situational Awareness (Tuesday, 2023-11-21)
Dry conditions have continued, though Potomac River flows have been holding relatively steady in recent weeks. Forecasts call for a substantial amount of rain in the Potomac basin over the coming days: approximately 1.3 inches over the next 24 hours and 2 inches over the next 3 days. We hope this doesn’t cause too much of a problem for your family’s Thanksgiving travel plans, but we are grateful for getting some relief from this drought!

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Monday, 2023-11-20)

Submitted by admin1 on Mon, 11/20/2023 - 13:08

Situational Awareness (Monday, 2023-11-20)
According to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, the basin will be dry on Monday and then receive rain on Tuesday. The following 3-day basin average precipitation total is 1.6 inches, with possible precipitation in the 1 to 2 inches range. This precipitation forecast may produce river and creek rises in streamflow on Tuesday and Wednesday. Currently, Shepherdstown and Point of Rocks USGS gage flows remain steady.

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Thursday, 2023-11-16)

Submitted by admin1 on Thu, 11/16/2023 - 14:25

Situational Awareness (Thursday, 2023-11-16)

River flows have been mostly holding steady over the past week. No rain fell in the basin yesterday.  About ¼ of an inch of rain is expected over the next 3 days. The rainfall outlook for the next seven days is very promising, with a forecasted total of about 1.3 inches.

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Tuesday, 2023-11-14)

Submitted by admin1 on Tue, 11/14/2023 - 13:15

Situational Awareness (Tuesday, 2023-11-14)
According to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center predictions, no rain is expected over the next three days. The week-long outlook expects a total of approximately 0.3 inches of rain in the basin. This 0.3-inch amount is a basin average, where some of the driest areas of the Potomac are expected to receive up to 0.25 inches in the next 7 days. 

Flow at Potomac River at Point of Rocks, MD, has been steady since November 10th.