Protecting Our Drinking Water Keeps Him Up at Night

DC experienced a drought watch for almost a year before conditions improved. Michael Nardolilli leads the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, which manages and protects the Potomac and the region's water supply. In a severe drought he could order emergency releases from Jennings Randolph Lake, with water taking nine days to reach the city via the Potomac. Arlington, Falls Church, and DC are especially vulnerable because they rely on a single water source, raising contamination and conveyance risks. Release decisions are complex and can be undermined by changing weather. Nardolilli transitioned from corporate law to water management after rethinking career purpose.

He's executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, created by Congress in 1940 to help manage and protect the river-and, therefore, the city's water supply. If drought conditions had persisted to the point where there wasn't enough water for drinking, showers, fire suppression, or sustaining the river's aquatic life, it would have been his responsibility to deal with it. The Garbage song "Only Happy When It Rains" should be his personal anthem, he likes to joke.

In the worst-case scenario, Nardolilli would be the one to make the decision to tap our emergency water reserves, asking the US Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Washington Aqueduct, to release the water. Millions of gallons would be let loose from Jennings Randolph Lake, about 170 miles from the city. Then we would wait: Water from this reservoir takes nine days to travel down the Potomac before residents can use it.

Arlington, Falls Church, and DC are the most vulnerable jurisdictions in the country because they have only one source of water. That means if the Potomac were to become fouled by accidental or intentional contamination, the river as a means of water conveyance could be shot. Droughts are especially complicated; if Nardolilli decided to release the backup supply and the weather changed to rain, the effort could be for nothing. "These are the issues that keep me up at night," he says.

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