The Partnership is a voluntary association of water suppliers and government agencies focused on protecting drinking water sources in the Potomac River basin. This coalition of water utilities and management/regulatory agencies enables a comprehensive approach to protecting raw water supplies in the basin.

Through work groups and active discussion at meetings, the Partnership is identifying a strategy for carrying forward source water protection as recommended by source water assessments that were prepared throughout the Potomac River basin. The Partnership now has 20 member organizations.

What is the Potomac River Basin?

The Potomac River basin stretches across parts of four states (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) as well as the District of Columbia. Encompassing 14,670 square miles, it includes all of the land area where water drains toward the mouth of the Potomac. Learn more about the Potomac watershed.

How is the Partnership responding to challenges in providing a reliable and safe supply of drinking water?

Unique and complementary technical, operational, and regulatory expertise helps to identify challenges, assess priorities and address issues. Click on the links below to find out what the Partnership is doing to address the following:

• New contaminants: contaminants of emerging concern

• Disinfection by-products (DBPs) from water treatment processes
• Early warning/emergency response to events and conditions which may threaten the safety of Potomac basin water supply
• Urban issues such as the impact of roadway salts and de-icers on drinking water sources
• Pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, which may cause water-borne disease

Organizational History

The founding members of the Partnership include water utilities serving nearly 4 million residents of the Potomac River basin as well as agencies representing four states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. EPA. The effort to form the Partnership began after the completion of source water assessments for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, when the water suppliers who share the Potomac River as their source met with state and federal representatives to share their results and discuss next steps. After a series of meetings, the concept of the Partnership evolved from the shared vision of all the stakeholders to protect drinking water in the basin.

The original member organizations finalized an organizational framework and a resolution to form the Partnership on April 13, 2004 . The Partnership was officially launched at a ceremony held on September 24, 2004 at Little Seneca Reservoir in Black Hill Regional Park near Germantown, Md. The event included a formal signing of the Partnership resolution by the 16 charter members along with displays by members, water-related artwork by school children and a symbolic tree-planting ceremony.

At the August 9, 2005 meeting of the Partnership, a Strategic Plan for source water protection in the Potomac River basin was adopted. This plan outlines the priorities and projects that the Partnership will be pursuing in the coming years.

Additional Information

• Fact Sheet
• DWSPP member organizations
• 2005 Annual Report
• 2006 Annual Report
• 2007 Annual Report
• 2008 Annual Report
• 2009 Annual Report
• Contact DWSPP Workgroup Chairs