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.

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Thursday 10/09/2014)

Submitted by admin1 on Thu, 10/09/2014 - 09:00

There was no precipitation in the basin over the past 24 hours according to the National Weather Service. Precipitation ranging from one quarter of an inch to one inch is expected across the basin over the next 72 hours according to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. The largest rainfall totals are expected in the central portion of the basin.

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Wednesday 10/08/2014)

Submitted by admin1 on Wed, 10/08/2014 - 09:00

Flow at Point of Rocks continues to be below the low-flow threshold of 2,000 cfs. Significant precipitation fell over the basin over the past 24 hours, with accumulations of 1/10 to 1/2 inch, and as much as an inch in a few areas. The National Weather Service's 72-hour quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) calls for 1/4 to 1 inch in the over the next few days.

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Tuesday 10/07/2014)

Submitted by admin1 on Tue, 10/07/2014 - 09:00

Significant precipitation fell over the northwestern half of the basin over the past 24 hours, with accumulations of 1/10 to 1/2 inch, and over an inch in a few areas. The National Weather Service's 72-hour quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) calls for 1/4 to 1/2 inch in the northwestern portion of the basin over the next few days.

DROUGHT EXERCISE - Afternoon simulated Potomac flow and demand update (Monday 10/06/2014) - DROUGHT EXERCISE

Submitted by admin1 on Mon, 10/06/2014 - 14:00

This concludes the 2014 drought exercise. Thank you for participating. Special thanks to those who sent in data, provided us information, and took our phone calls. We will document what we learned about potential impacts of power outages on drought operations in the forthcoming 2014 drought exercise report.

THE FLOWS, DEMANDS, AND DISCHARGES REPORTED BELOW REFLECT ACTUAL CONDITIONS:

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Sunday 10/05/2014)

Submitted by admin1 on Sun, 10/05/2014 - 09:00

This email reports observed flows and demands as part of ongoing drought operations. A separate email will be provided with today's information for the annual drought exercise.

Flows are elevated at Little Falls because of the Artificially Varied Flow (AVF) release from Jennings Randolph that occurred on the 27th and 28th of September.

Daily Potomac flow and demand update (Saturday 10/04/2014)

Submitted by admin1 on Sat, 10/04/2014 - 09:00

This email reports observed flows and demands as part of ongoing drought operations. A separate email will be provided with today's information for the annual drought exercise.

The National Weather Service reports that 0.1 to 1.5 inches of rain fell in the basin in the last 24-hour period. A few small areas of the basin received as much as 1.75 inches of rain in the last 24-hour period. There is 0 to 0.5 inches of rain in the 72-hour forecast. The 7-day forecast indicates accumulations between 0.1 and 1.5 inches of rain possible across the basin.

DROUGHT EXERCISE - Afternoon simulated Potomac flow and demand update (Friday 10/03/2014) - DROUGHT EXERCISE

Submitted by admin1 on Fri, 10/03/2014 - 14:00

SIMULATED SCENARIO: The weather forecast and operational recommendations are unchanged from this morning's email. Potomac River flows are still elevated due to the Derecho event. Suppliers have been requested to take advantage of these flows and to conserve reservoir storage. However, we anticipate that flows will begin to fall to near pre-Derecho levels by Sunday.

THE FLOWS, DEMANDS, AND DISCHARGES REPORTED BELOW REFLECT ACTUAL CONDITIONS: