Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB)

Authorized by an Act of Congress in 1940, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin is an advisory, non-regulatory interstate compact agency of the Potomac basin states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The federal government also is a member. ICPRB was formed in response to extreme pollution levels that required a regional, cooperative response by all the jurisdictions. In 1970, amendments to the compact empowered ICPRB to address not just pollution issues, but water resources and related land issues by two or more jurisdictions. The rivers water quality has in many ways vastly improved, but threats to the river (population increases, land use change and the growth of impervious surface, chemical contaminants, and nutrient and sediment enrichment) require regional attention. The regional efforts needed to address these challenges help to inform ICPRBs Strategic Plan. Our mission is to protect and enhance the waters an...