ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A new report forecasts the steep economic impact losing even temporary access to water from the Potomac River would have on the Washington, DC, region. That limited access could be caused by a severe drought, natural disasters or an environmental catastrophe that could pollute the water.
The Potomac River is currently the sole drinking water source for about five million people, including the entire District of Columbia.
The report from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin also found that the region could lose as much as $15 billion in gross regional product in the first month without water access. Businesses that rely on access to water from the river range from restaurants to government offices.
“That’s 10 times what the federal government spends every year to protect drinking water in this country,” said Mae Stevens, CEO of the American Business Water Coalition, during a press conference on Sept. 24.
Stevens and others are citing the report in their requests for additional federal funding to help solve the problem. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is exploring options that could make the region’s water supply more diverse and resilient. Those future plans could include constructing additional reservoirs, tapping into an aquifer and focusing on water reuse.
The water for DC is currently supplied by the Washington Aqueduct, which is run by the Corps of Engineers. It is entirely dependent on the Potomac River as its source of raw water. DC Water’s CEO and general manager, David Gadis, said during the press conference that the system has “approximately less than 24 hours of water in supply” at any given time.
Michael Nardolilli, executive director of river basin commission, said the study will cost $3 million and take three years to complete. Federal legislators have presented bills that would pay for some or all of the study, but not all of the funding has been approved.
Jack McDougle, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, called the findings about the economic impacts of water loss “sobering.”
Others pointed out that a future in which the Potomac River can’t provide enough water for a few days or longer is not hard to imagine. The Potomac River basin experienced a drought this summer, with precipitation levels dropping nearly four inches below normal for about 60 days. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a drought watch, which is one stage before issuing mandatory water restrictions for the region.
Gadis of DC Water said algal blooms in the Potomac River and an oil spill in recent weeks had also threatened to affect the water supply, along with drought conditions.
“Congress,” he said, “has an opportunity to act.”
View the full report potomacriver.org/news/watersupply.
