2/23/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Ottawa BWA
Severe drought area expanding
Water news for Friday, February 23, 2024 1245 pm EST
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Streamflows have recovered to seasonal normal levels Friday while the Lake Erie drainage basin begins to thaw at balmy plus five temperatures midday Friday.
Loramie Creek is registering normal Friday after several days in first percentile extreme low. Cuyahoga River flow has also returned to normal seasonal level at Newburgh Heights where yesterday we saw this station recording some of the lowest flow values in water monitoring history.
Drought map from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
St. Marys River watershed has developed severe drought condition by Friday noon, joining the Muskingum basin Wills Creek watershed south of the height of land divide, also rated severe drought.
Ashtabula-Chagrin watershed of the Lake Erie basin was rated severe drought Thursday, this has since stepped down to moderate drought Friday. Adjacent Grand River and Cuyahoga River watersheds form a large contiguous area of moderate drought on the Lake Erie side of the divide Friday. Back to the Lake Erie west, the only ground not appearing on the drought map St Josephs and Tiffin watersheds. Cedar Portage watershed is now rated below normal, along with all the rest of the Lake Erie drainage area. Auglaize and Blanchard River watersheds are moderate drought.
Little Muskingum River watershed jumps up to moderate drought Friday joining Shade River, Raccoon-Symmes and Brush Whiteoak watersheds.
South of the drainage divide, Wheeling and Laughery watersheds of the Ohio minor tributaries are the only ommissions from the drought map in the Mississippi basin.
Drinking Water Matters
Ottawa has issued a boil water advisory for customers from Blackthorn Drive N along OH-65, Willow Run Drive, and the Indian Knoll subdivision. The BWA applies until 6 am Saturday, February 24.
East Palestine experienced a water service outage following a water main break at corner of Market St and Rebecca St on Tuesday. A boil water advisory is in effect until further notice.
Nelsonville has issued a boil water order for all customers on Adams Street from West Washington Street to Jingleburg Alley until noon Friday, Feb. 23 following a water line break yesterday.
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.
Harmful Algal Bloom HAB Update
A clear image captured by satellite on Feb 21 at a surface wind speed of 17.6 mph is mostly cloud obscured. The previous image of Feb 20 shows Lake Erie open water, shoreline and islands with localized HABs appearing along the shoreline near Camp Perry, in east harbor of Catawba Island and along the north shore of Kelleys Island. Localized HABs appear along shore near Huron River outlet. All HABs match the concentration 100 thousand cells per 100 ml.
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