Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

777 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 300

Washington, DC 20002

(202) 962-3200

For Immediate Release Contact: Jeanne Saddler

February 20, 2002 (202) 962- 3250

COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS ANNOUNCES

DROUGHT “WATCH” -- FIRST NOTIFICATION STAGE UNDER REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY AND DROUGHT PLAN

Water Supplies Remain Adequate; Wise Water Use Encouraged

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Drought Coordination Committee (DCC) today announced that a drought “WATCH” is now in effect for the entire Washington metropolitan region, pursuant to the regional water supply and drought plan. The announcement was made in recognition of the unusual and extended period of dry weather experienced since last September, combined with forecasts indicating an above normal probability of dry conditions persisting into the summer. The “WATCH” level is the first notification stage of the region’s water supply and drought plan, triggered by at least moderate drought conditions in the Potomac River basin. Regional officials emphasized that there is still an adequate supply of water in the Potomac River and reservoirs to meet current and future water needs, while reminding citizens of the importance of practicing wise water use year-round in and around the home.

The drought WATCH applies to the entire region, including the 95 percent of the Washington area whose water is obtained from the Potomac River system. The Potomac River system consists of the free-flowing Potomac River above Chain Bridge, the Occoquan Reservoir, and the Patuxent River reservoirs, further supplemented during extreme low flow by the Jennings Randolph and Little Seneca Reservoirs.

The dry conditions being experienced in the Potomac River Basin are part of a much larger area of drought affecting the eastern United States. Precipitation in the Washington region is more than 50% below normal since last September and river flows are near to or at record low levels for this time of year. Fortunately, due to foresighted planning by area water utilities and local governments resulting from severe droughts experienced in the 1960s and the 1970s, the vast majority of the Washington region obtaining their water from the Potomac River system is far better prepared to withstand a severe drought than many other regions. The flow in the Potomac River, while at record low levels, remains 4 times greater than current water demands, and the special storage reservoirs constructed in the early 1980s to provide water during summertime droughts are currently full and unlikely to be needed until summer at the earliest.

Regional officials note that wintertime droughts are rare, and their overall impact on water supply, the environment and agriculture is far less than during the summer, because there is much lower evaporation during colder weather, when most trees and other plants are in a dormant period without leaves. However, regional officials determined that it was important to provide the public with advanced notice of the very dry current conditions so that everyone has time to become cognizant of the source of their water, and to practice appropriate wise water use measures. In addition, it is recognized that should dry conditions persist into the spring, there will be increased fire danger, impacts on agriculture and the environment, even though water supplies in the Potomac River system are expected to remain adequate to meet normal water supply demands.

Regional officials also caution that those obtaining their water from groundwater or other smaller water supply systems in the region (approximately 5 percent of the population) are likely to be more vulnerable to the drought and as a result they should remain alert for further announcements targeted directly at these sources, and to take steps now to conserve water. Information on water supply conditions for the Washington metropolitan region utilities may be found on the COG web site at:

http://www.mwcog.org/dep/water/supply/current_conditions.htm.

"At this time, we want to encourage the public to continue good water conservation habits," said Anthony Griffin, Fairfax County Executive and Chairman of COG's Drought Coordination Committee. "Repairing leaking toilets and faucets, installing low-flush toilets and low-flow shower heads, teaching children to turn off the water while they brush their teeth, and only running full loads in dishwashers and clothes washers are all good ways to save water by practicing wise water use year-round. Avoiding unnecessary outdoor uses at any time of year is also prudent,” Griffin noted.

Officials stressed they were monitoring the situation closely, but that the region was not at risk of running out of water. Joseph Hoffman, Executive Director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, the agency that coordinates water supply operations for the Potomac River, stated that "Water storage in the Jennings Randolph and Little Seneca Reservoirs, combined with the natural flow of the Potomac River, is more than adequate to meet the needs of the Washington region even if we matched our worst-ever drought. Together, these two reservoirs contain more than 17 billion gallons of water that can release into the Potomac River to ensure an adequate water supply for the region even in the case of a prolonged drought. At this time, there are no releases planned nor anticipated being needed over the next 4 to 5 months to supplement water supplies”, said Hoffman.

Water obtained from the Potomac River system is supplied by the region’s three major public water utilities: the Fairfax County Water Authority, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and the Washington Aqueduct Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to the major utilities, it also includes customers of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, the Loudoun County Sanitation Authority, the Prince William County Service Authority, the Virginia American Water Company for Alexandria and Dale City, and Vienna, Falls Church, and Arlington County. The City of Rockville, Town of Brunswick, Frederick County, MD, and the Town of Leesburg, VA also obtains their water from the Potomac River.

Members of the Drought Coordination Committee include Chief Administrative Officers from COG’s 17 member governments, the General Managers of area water utilities, water supply officials from the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. The DCC is supported by staff from COG, with further technical assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center.

The DCC was established in June, 2000 by the COG Board of Directors in response to the severe drought during the summer of 1999, to insure a coordinated and scientifically sound response to protecting our region’s water supply resources and the environment during droughts, and to encourage permanent behavioral change through adoption of wise water use measures to help insure the long-term viability of the region’s water supplies.

The committee operates under a four-stage, regional drought response plan. The stages are “NORMAL”, “WATCH”, “WARNING”, and “EMERGENCY.” Movement from one stage to the next is undertaken on the basis of common regional triggers. Today's announcement moves the region into the second stage of the plan. Should it become necessary, the WATCH stage also includes formal recognition of water supply releases from the Jennings Randolph or Little Seneca water storage reservoirs, and additional announcements should the combined storage in these reservoirs drop to 75%. The WATCH would be lifted and a return to NORMAL declared once sufficient rainfall has occurred in the Potomac River basin to return the NOAA drought designation to at least “D-0” (abnormally dry).

The "WARNING" stage, while a very unlikely regional condition, would be reached when the combined storage of the Jennings Randolph and Little Seneca reservoirs drops below 60% of capacity for five consecutive days or when there is a five percent probability of not meeting unrestricted water demand over the next one to two months. Voluntary water restrictions would be implemented at that time.

An even more unlikely stage, the drought “EMERGENCY,” would only be declared when there is a 50 percent chance that demand will exceed available water supply over the following month. The possibility of the Washington region ever reaching this stage is very small. However, if an EMERGENCY were declared, mandatory water restrictions would be imposed. If daily demand could not be satisfied, the region's water agencies would share water among themselves at predetermined levels.

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For more information:

Stuart A. Freudberg, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, (202) 962-3340

Curtis Dalpra, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, (301) 984-1908

Liz Kalinowski, Director of Communications, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, (301) 206-8185

Jim Warfield, Executive Officer, Fairfax County Water Authority, (703) 289-6013

Tom Jacobus, Chief, Washington Aqueduct Division, (202) 764-0031

Anthony Griffin, County Executive, Fairfax County and Chairman, COG Drought Coordination Committee (703) 324-2531