2/2/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Drinking Water Matters
Remembering East Palestine
Water news for Friday, February 2, 2024 - updated 942 pm EST
Drinking Water Matters
Safe drinking water is first principle for every municipality, one of the primary responsibilities to be administered for citizens. Potable water supply has been challenging town engineers for millenia, as long as towns and cities have existed. From protecting the source water from sabotage, to the collection of raw water, the filtration, treatment, monitoring take up a great space in the arena of Public Works. Distribution of clean, safe water to the tap improved drastically with the discovery of an alternative material to lead and copper. The first use of the new technology water pipes was in Europe just prior to WWII. PVC pipes passed all test expectations, widely adopted for the drinking water infrastructure as fast as municipal administrators could "get the lead out".
Benefits to replacing lead and copper pipes with PVC, absolutely. Risk? Calculated. PVC is made from vinyl chloride, the gas hauled by common carriers like Norfolk Southern, in certified and inspected tank cars across the network of track to domestic manufacturers such as found in the US midwest.
As we remember the Norfolk Southern hazardous materials spill incident a year ago on Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, what have we collectively learned? Stay with us as we break down the elements of the risk-benefit of advanced technologies with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight. This discussion is our tribute to the residents of East Palestine and the first responders confronted with the immediate threat to life, to those with on-going health issues today, to the businesses forced to close their doors, we acknowledge the price paid by our neighbors for the advancement of clean, safe drinking water we all must have.
Join the discussion, how do we grip the benefits of advanced technologies while managing the risks? Email info@wtoh.us with your comments.
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Current streamflows statewide above normal to much above normal on both sides of the state divide.
At the end of flood Day 8, Tiffin River has come down half a foot Friday, still more than a foot to go. This could be over by Sunday morning, more to follow.
St Josephs River station is looking to be out of flood depth tonight, just three inches over as of this update, we could see the end of this by Saturday morning. More to follow.
See black tags on the map for flood levels from USGS Provisional Data.
Drought map from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
No part of Ohio has been marked up on the drought map all week, the drought map remains blank white on Friday. No low streamflows recorded in the network today, in fact there is not even a below normal streamflow showing up in Ohio as of this update.
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.
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