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Regional water agencies announced a two-year, $25 million study to identify backup drinking-water supplies for parts of the Washington region if primary supplies become unavailable.
Called Secure the Source, the study will compare four alternatives: taking no action, using Travilah Quarry near Rockville, developing advanced water reuse at the Blue Plains treatment plant, and using Luck Stone Quarries B and C in Loudoun County. The goal is to determine how the region could maintain drinking-water service for several weeks during a major disruption.
WSSC Water is leading the effort with Fairfax Water, the Washington Aqueduct, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
“A single source of supply, no matter how reliable, carries inherent risks,” Kishia L. Powell, WSSC Water’s general manager, said.
The study comes as regional agencies examine threats to water reliability, including drought, contamination, infrastructure failure and severe weather. On June 3, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments declared a regional drought watch and requested voluntary reductions in water use.
The Potomac River also experienced a major contamination event in January, when a rupture of the Potomac Interceptor pipeline reportedly discharged more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the river.
The region currently has two backup water-supply reservoirs: Jennings Randolph Reservoir, between Maryland and West Virginia, and Little Seneca Reservoir in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin said there was an above-normal probability that those reservoirs would be used during summer or fall 2026.
A prolonged interruption could carry significant economic consequences. The commission estimates that a monthlong disruption could reduce gross regional product by as much as $15 billion and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in tax losses.
The agencies also face changing demand. The Potomac Conservancy reportedly counted more than 290 operating data centers in the region, with additional facilities anticipated.
Fairfax Water serves more than 2.2 million people across Fairfax County and other Northern Virginia jurisdictions and facilities. It draws water from both the Potomac River and the Occoquan Reservoir. The Washington Aqueduct, a federally owned and operated U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supplier, serves approximately one million users through wholesale customers DC Water, Arlington County and Fairfax Water. WSSC Water provides drinking-water and wastewater services to 1.9 million residents across roughly 1,000 square miles in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.
“Climate variability makes it harder to rely on historic trends to predict river flows,” Susan Miller, Fairfax Water’s public affairs manager, said.
The study will provide participating agencies with a comparison of the four proposed approaches as they consider backup water supplies for future disruptions.