Chair's Cockpit
By Hugh Hilliard
A rainy day before the Memorial Day weekend provides me a good opportunity to reflect on the unusual Spring we've had and to look ahead to the upcoming Summer. But before getting into that, I wanted to pause for a moment to reflect on the tragic loss of a local paddler, Will Lankford, in an accident at Great Falls on May 3. May this accident—and the example of his crew doing their best to save him—reinforce for all of us our commitment to prepare for accidents and look out for each other.
We've experienced unusual weather this Spring, with wild swings in temperature—from daily high temperatures ranging from the mid-90s to the low 50s—and very little rain, resulting in historically low water levels in the Potomac and other local rivers. The USGS Potomac Little Falls gage readings have been recording levels for this time of year that are below levels ever recorded during the past 96 years. We'll have to see whether the late May rainfall will help to restore water flows to more typical levels.
And we've also been confronted this year with concerns about the safety of paddling in the Potomac following the break in the Potomac Interceptor sewage pipeline that occurred Jan. 19, dumping an estimated 243 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River at a location just downstream of the American Legion Bridge on I-495. As chronicled elsewhere in this edition of the Cruiser, the good news is that extensive water quality testing generally has showed that levels of bacteria have declined to levels that are considered to be safe for recreation. I'm happy to report that many of us, including me, have resumed paddling Little Falls, and lots of folks are using the slalom course in the Feeder Canal. I even practiced my rolling there earlier this week, with no resulting health issues.
But there's one important exception to the good news: the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services still recommends against contact with the riverbed sediments or shoreline in an area extending from Lock 11 downstream to and around Minnie's Island. This, together with signs posted by DC Water stating that the path from the Lock 10 parking lot to the river is closed, preclude use of the popular Lock 10 takeout for now. We will continue to push for DC Water to complete its efforts to restore and rehabilitate areas affected by the spill and for continued water and sediment testing in areas used for recreation near and downstream of the spill site. And we will need to continue to monitor the water quality test results, particularly after heavy rainfall events.
Despite some early concerns about whether the sewage spill would affect the 71st annual Potomac Downriver Race, we were able to hold the race as planned on May 9 with the finish line at the traditional Sycamore Island location. This accomplishment is thanks to our tireless race director, Risa Shimoda, and the many volunteers who pitched in to provide all the required elements of a successful race, including registration, safety boats, timing, food, medals, and T-shirts. Many thanks to Risa and all the other volunteers, as well as the competitors, who had a more grueling race than normal due to the weak current and more rocks to avoid due to the low water level. The safety team assisted on a record number of swims this year.
Another important accomplishment to announce is the recent award by the American Canoe Association and L.L. Bean of a grant to the Calleva River School, in collaboration with the CCA, to offer a weekend of introductory whitewater paddling instruction Aug. 8-9 dedicated to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) adults and teenagers. Thanks to Rolando Arrieta, who took the lead applying for the grant with the assistance of Ashley McKewan at Calleva.
And we've recently learned that the National Park Service has signed off on the proposal for the CCA to construct an improved access point from the Potomac above Pennyfield Lock to the C&O Canal near Blockhouse Point. Many thanks to David Cottingham, Alf Cooley, John Snitzer, and others who have been working on this project and who now will be pushing to bring it to fruition. (For background on the proposal, see "River Access: CCA 'Steps Up' with Blockhouse Point Project," Cruiser, March-April 2026.)
The highlight of my paddling adventures this Spring was my first time attending the Stonycreek Rendezvous with a group of CCA paddlers. The event featured hundreds of boaters sharing a small river and campground, playboaters showing their tricks in a wave next to the campground both day and night, and a pavilion with food trucks and live music. Benscreek Canoe Club did a great job planning and executing this event. I doubt that we could duplicate that, but perhaps we can learn something from it. On a much smaller scale, we have our family picnic coming up June 7 at Seneca Creek, and I encourage everyone to attend.
Finally, I want to announce that Susan Sherrod has decided to step down as webmaster after many years of tireless and comprehensive service in that role. Please take a moment when you see her to extend your thanks for everything she's done to develop and maintain the CCA website over these years. Fortunately, Susan has agreed to help out with transition to a new webmaster and to continue fulfilling other roles, such as supporting our online and in-person presentations, helping out with maintaining our membership database, supporting Downriver Race logistics, and assisting on preparation and printing of the Roster. Peter Ryan, who has assisted Susan in the past, has agreed to step in as webmaster on an interim basis, Laura Kurup also has agreed to continue helping out on webmaster tasks, and Susan also will be available to help out. We are conducting a search for a person who would be willing and able to serve as webmaster on a more permanent basis, so please let me know if you are interested in doing this yourself or would like to nominate anyone for this role.
I hope to see you on the river soon!