Snowfall in January has had minimal impact on replenishing ground water levels and reservoir supplies in the Maryland-Delaware-D.C region, according to hydrologists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Baltimore, Maryland. This minimal impact is partly due to a slow snow melt and frozen ground. Ground-water levels at the end of January have decreased throughout most of the area and remain below normal throughout the entire bi-state area. Contents of the Baltimore reservoir system decreased from 61,320 million gallons (61.32 billion gallons) in December to 60,740 million gallons near the end of January, which was 83 percent of average and 88 percent of January 1999. End-of-month contents this time last year were about 69,480 million gallons.

Flow into the Chesapeake Bay was 49% below average for the month of January and was estimated to be about 28.7 billion gallons per day (bgd). Flow into the Chesapeake was about half of January 1999 levels (51.8 bgd) but still more than 2 times greater than the lowest January flow recorded in 1981 (11.5 bgd). January streamflow has decreased in local streams and remains low for this time of year. Streamflow at Potomac River near Washington, D.C. was about one-third of normal (or 37%).

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