2/12/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Maumee Watershed ag producers meeting in Findlay
Best Management Practises coming for spring 2024
Water news for Monday, February 12, 2024 - updated 1122 am EST
Drinking Water Matters
Agricultural land managers from the Maumee River watershed are meeting in Findlay today hearing presentations on structuring the field to hold and retain moisture and nutrients for better crop production. The lineup of presenters in Findlay today are accomplished at elevating the efficiency of crop producers, with proven strategies to reduce the fertilizer and pesticides required to grow the crop.
Maumee River watershed surface area is 70% agricultural land for row crops. Fertilizer nutrient runoff from storms is not a point source discharge regulated by the OEPA, yet this is the single greatest contribution of phosphate overfeeding the Lake Erie HAB, impacting drinking water quality for 12.5 million people.
With rainfall and streamflows through Maumee River watershed up approximately 12% over the last two decades, ag producers have an increasing challenge to hold the applied crop-nourishing nutrients from escaping with the rain runoff in the critical spring period beginning March 1. This subject is highlighted in the OEPA plan to limit total phosphate entering Lake Erie, in protection of drinking water. What the Maumee watershed producers do in the next three weeks could make all the difference for the upcoming HAB season. More to follow.
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
As of Monday, we see streamflows normalizing through the northwest, Maumee watershed region including St Marys, Auglaize, Blanchard, St Josephs, Tiffin River, Ottawa River and the Upper and Lower Maumee River. A forecast of rain for Toledo coming Thursday. Rain forecast for Cleveland in the Erie basin to the east is down to 20% chance of rain today.
As of this update there are no extreme high or extreme low flows registering in the state network.
Drought map from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Auglaize River and Grand River watersheds joined the drought map Sunday, rated below normal as Lake Erie basin drainage Grand River watershed is also below normal as of Sunday.
South of the drainage divide, Upper Ohio minor tributary Shade River watershed came back to the drought map Saturday at below normal through Meigs and Washington Counties. Middle Ohio minor tributaries Brush-Whiteoak watershed came off the drought map Monday, replaced by Scioto River Tygarts watershed, west Lawrence and east Scioto Counties below normal as of Monday, along with Little Muskingum River watershed area, sticking around below normal from last week.
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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