12/5/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
OEPA responds with details on spills
Tiffin River off the drought map
Up to the minute water news for Tuesday, December 5, 2023 - last updated 132 pm EST
Hazardous Spills Hotline updated as reported to OEPA 1-800-282-9378
An unknown amount of blue material was reported spilled into an unnamed water body off Portage Lakes Drive in Akron last week. We inquired of Ohio EPA for more details. OEPA spokesperson Dina Pierce advises, "There was a cloudy blue substance discharging from a storm sewer into Stone Creek in Summit County. The spill was reported to Ohio EPA by an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Portage Lakes State Park employee. The material appeared to be non-toxic. Field sampling indicated that the water chemistry was normal and there was no visible harm to wildlife."
A second incident for which we asked for details was reported in Trotwood recently. The spilled material was described as an unknown white stringy substance. According to OEPA, the material was reported "discharging into a creek from a pond in John Wolfe Park in Trotwood, Montgomery County. Local officials investigated, but did not find evidence of a discharge or spill. Ohio EPA did not respond after getting the local report. The report was called in anonymously and the caller did not leave a call-back number; therefore, no follow-up can be made."
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real time flow monitors across Ohio
A mix of normal to much below normal flows statewide Tuesday with one extreme low value recorded in Sandusky Bay watershed of the Lake Erie basin. Tymochtee Creek is flowing at 1.67 percentile at Crawford, just over two feet deep at less than half a cubic foot per second flow volume. South of the divide, the Great Miami River basin flows are below normal to much below normal again today.
Drought situation from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for this date
The drought map appears largely as reported yesterday. A bit of relief in the Lake Erie west basin Tuesday, the Tiffin River watershed is off the drought map and back to normal. Auglaize River watershed remains at the severe rating, shifting to moderate drought where the Auglaize River joins the Maumee River in Defiance County to the outlet Maumee Bay. Blanchard River, Upper Maumee, St Marys watersheds all around the severe drought Auglaize River watershed are rated below normal as yesterday.
South of the divide from the Erie West basin, the Great Miami Basin remains entirely below normal, including the Little Miami River watershed as we saw showing up yesterday. Over to the northeast, the Mahoning River watershed of the Upper Ohio Tributaries is showing up today with a below normal rating. Moving downstream along the Ohio River, Shade River watershed Meigs and Washington Counties are rated below normal, followed by the downstream adjacent Racoon-Symnes watershed today rated moderate drought. Carrying on to the west Ohio line, Scioto Basin's Tygarts and the remaining Ohio minor tributaries watersheds Brush White Oak and Laughery are still rated below normal today.
The height-of-land divide in Ohio runs from Mercer County in the west angling northeast up to Ashtabula County on the east state border. Streamflows north of the divide feed Lake Erie, flows south of the divide run to the Ohio River, part of the Mississippi River basin that drains the majority of interior North America to the Gulf of Mexico.
As the drought conditions shift and change in the Ohio River basin, track the effects south down the Mississippi River into to Louisiana, rated "Exceptional Drought", the highest category on the National Drought map. Visit WTLA.us for more information on downstream effects.
Harmful Algal Bloom update based on the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program -
NCCOS latest satellite image of west basin Lake Erie was captured November 30 at unknown surface wind speed. This image offers a clear view of Lake Erie open water and bays with some cloud cover along the shorelines. Update in progress. More to follow.
North Maumee Bay small localized HABs remain along shore from the Erie Marsh preserve on the Michigan shore past Monroe. Maumee Bay small localized HAB remains around the Harbor View Yacht Club with a small HAB remaining on Maumee Bay State park Niles Beach, all late season HABs appearing at moderate 100 thousand cells per 100 ml. USGS streamflow monitor on the Maumee River at Waterville had water temperature less than a degree above freezing last week. The temperature gage is malfunctioning Monday morning.
A small localized HAB seen along shore at Maumee Bay State Park east end of Niles Beach is still visible as of Nov 30 image, with small HABs dotting the shoreline from the east side of Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, Reno Beach, Metzger Marsh Wildlife Preserve, Magee Marsh, all blooms at 100 thousand cells per 100 ml.
Port Clinton HABs at have expanded up the Portage River channel. Small localized HABs appear along the shore west and east of the raw water intake for the Ottawa County Regional Water system. HABs around Catawba Island have expanded in the inland water bodies West Harbor and East Harbor. A single small localized HAB clings to Cedar Point in the Sandusky Bay area. Small localized HABs appear along the east Lake Erie shore up to Huron with small HABs dispersed throughout open water from Huron to the international border.
This is the last week for mandatory testing for microcystins by drinking water facilities sourced from surface water. More to follow.
Drinking Water matters
West Alexandria appears to be under BWA following repair of a leaking valve last week, update to follow.
NWS Outlook
Sunny skies in Cleveland area Monday give way to snow and possibly rain tomorrow. No hazardous weather advice posted for Ohio as of Monday morning. Dayton, Columbus and Akron have a similar outlook for Tuesday, snow followed by rain. Cincinatti can expect the rain tomorrow without the snow.
|
|
|
