August 11, 2026 Update — Wastewater from the District of Columbia and nearby areas of Virginia and Maryland is treated by DC Water. A collapse of a sewer line on January 19, 2026 in Montgomery County, Maryland resulted in more than 200 million gallons of sewage entering the Potomac River….
From Virginia Tech News: Experts from the Virginia Water Resources Research Center work with students in the Field Experience in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation course to teach them techniques and practices fundamental to their future careers.
From Virginia Tech News: The Virginia Water Resources Research Center conducts fieldwork throughout the Appalachian coalfields of Virginia and West Virginia to monitor and assess stream rehabilitation. Researchers gather data on water quality and aquatic insect presence to continue to monitor streams impacted by runoff from former coalfields.
The 2024 Virginia General Assembly requested a study to assess harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Smith Mountain Lake (SML), a reservoir created by damming the Roanoke River. Harmful algal blooms have algae and cyanobacteria that produce toxins that may adversely affect human health through consumption of contaminated water or shellfish….
A new M.S. degree program in Water Resources at Virginia Tech has been officially approved! Proposed by Drs. Stephen Schoenholtz and Kevin McGuire of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, the program was approved on March 17 and is slated to begin in Fall 2026. The degree is designed to provide advanced…
March 30, 2026 Update — You may be wondering what’s the latest about the sewage spill in the Potomac River. More information is available on the websites for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The summary information provided below was obtained from these…
On March 26, 2026, Dr. Kevin McGuire, Director of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on the authorization of the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) program. The Advancing Water Research and Collaboration (AWRC) Act (H.R. 7889)—sponsored by Congressman Rob Wittman (VA‑01) and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA‑26)—would strengthen the…
In late February, Tali Altimari and Max Painchaud took their Water Center internship to Washington, D.C.! Joined by Water Center Director Kevin McGuire and Associate Director Daniel McLaughlin, they participated in the annual National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) Meeting and a series of congressional visits. During the trip, they met with staff from Morgan Griffith, Jen Kiggans, Mark Warner, and Rob Wittman’s offices. Tali and Max participated in a student panel about engaging students…
U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman (VA-01) and Julia Brownley (CA-26) and U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at boosting water research and collaboration across the country! The Advancing Water Research and Collaboration (AWRC) Act would strength the U.S. Geological Survey partnership with state…
You may have heard about or been impacted by recent spills in the Potomac and James rivers. More information about these spills and the response to the spills is available on the websites for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH; Potomac: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/) and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ; Potomac…
