3/12/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Lake Erie HAB at Metzger Marsh
Flood wise driving, flood smart autos
Water news for Tuesday, March 12, 2024 1215 pm EDT
Flood wise driving, flood smart autos
The arrival of spring in Ohio has been smooth sailing so far, just one brief occurence of the nation's most common natural disaster. Portage River rampaged outside of an orderly flow through its channel at Woodville, beginning 4 am Sunday and subsiding by 11 am the same day. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spring flood forecast, flood risk in Ohio is normal to below normal for this time of year. With virtually no snow melt contributing to flood risk, the anticipated incidence of minor flooding is 25% or more, and this will be river flooding caused by thunderstorms and rainfall.
Should flooding occur in Ohio this season, we look to the emergency preparedness and public safety advice offered by the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The main messaging from all public safety agencies is aimed at drivers.
Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
"Never drive through flooded areas. As little as six inches of water can cause you to lose control of your vehicle." According to the CDC, "The most common flood deaths occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood waters."
How can a driver confronted with water flowing across the roadway know how deep the floodwater is? What happens when a vehicle's electrical system shuts down? WTOH.us asked auto manufacturers around the world about flood safety measures built in to their vehicles. Watch here for the responses as we find out which new cars rolling off the line in 2024 come equipped with live saving flood safety measures. More to follow.
Streamflow Situation provisional data supplied by USGS current streamflow monitors
Tuesday streamflows continue to run seasonal normal statewide. Seven stations are recorded below normal, six of those occurring in the Lake Erie drainage basin and one south of the state divide in the Scioto basin. As of this report, there are no extreme highs or lows.
Drought Map USGS 7-day average streamflow against seasonal average
One area remains on the drought map Tuesday, St Josephs River watershed is below normal. Ohio River minor tributary Mahoning River has dropped off the drought map Tuesday.
Drinking Water Advisories
Funagins in Sylvania has resolved a boil water order handed out by the OEPA in December 2023. General Manager for Funagins stated the BWA was issued back in December. To resolve the matter, the owners of the recreational facility opted to decommission the well and connect to city water.
Dina Pierce, spokesperson for Ohio EPA corroborated Funagins' statement by email. "Funagins is an indoor recreation center (laser tag, arcade, escape room etc.) in Sylvania. The facility had a positive E.coli bacteria sample late last year from their well, which triggered the boil advisory. However, the facility has since connected to the city of Sylvania public water system, deactivating the business as its own public water system. The facility’s well was sealed on Feb. 21 and the deactivation letter was sent out Feb 28."
Harmful Algal Blooms - Lake Erie HAB from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science satellite monitoring program
The latest image available from NCCOS was snapped on March 11 at a surface wind speed 14.1 mph. The image is completely clear, giving a good view of all of Lake Erie west basin, shorelines and islands.
A localized HAB is visible on shore in the bay of Metzger Marsh wildlife area, matching 100 thousand cells per 100 ml.
Hazardous Spills
Spills in Ohio are reported to the 24 hour emergency spill hotline with response handled by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 24/7 at 1-800-282-9378 or 614-224-0946. Anyone with knowledge of a spill of hazardous material is to make a report. Refer to the Spill button to the right of the map for more details on the latest incidents reported to OEPA.
USGS Provisional Data Statement
Data are provisional and subject to revision until they have been thoroughly reviewed and received final approval. Current condition data relayed by satellite or other telemetry are automatically screened to not display improbable values until they can be verified.
Provisional data may be inaccurate due to instrument malfunctions or physical changes at the measurement site. Subsequent review based on field inspections and measurements may result in significant revisions to the data.
Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Information concerning the accuracy and appropriate uses of these data or concerning other hydrologic data may be obtained from the USGS.
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