3/21/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Much below normal streamflows statewide
Calcutta, Nelsonville BWA's
Water news for Thursday, March 21, 2024 1114 am EDT
Drinking Water Advisories
Columbiana County - Some water connections in Calcutta are under BWA this morning following a water main break yesterday. The Buckeye Water District has issued the boil advisory for all of Meadowbrook Circle until further notice.
Athens County - several streets in Nelsonville are impacted by a boil water order following a water main break yesterday.
See yellow tags on the map for more boil water advisories.
Streamflow Situation provisional data supplied by USGS
Much below seasonal normal streamflows are taking over the Ohio network of flow monitoring stations Thursday with all basins on equal footing to become dry in short order. Yesterday we saw equal parts normal and below normal with five monitors much below normal, today the trend is below to much below normal with a few normal readings. All basins appear similar, the northwest Lake Erie drainage basin has the least number of stations at much below normal. As of this update, there are no stations recording extreme low. Normal is the highest flow rating on the dashboard, there are no highs or active flooding.
As many Ohio drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water bodies including lakes, rivers and reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the raw source water, requiring additional treatment to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to shallower conditons and warmer temperatures in surface water bodies, which can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present.
WTOH.us tracks current streamflow conditions with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in 32 watersheds of the state's 5 drainage basins. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the high and low streamflows that may be impacting drinking water water in Ohio today.
Drought Map USGS 7-day average streamflow against seasonal average
Ashtabula-Chagrin River watershed remains the lone spot on the drought map Thursday. Given the streamflow trends tilting toward low flow, expect to see the drought map fill up over the coming days.
Flooding in the USA provisional data from USGS streamflow monitors
Twenty-one stream gauges record flood stage in continental USA Thursday morning, the same number as yesterday at our last update.
WT is currently tracking flooding at fourteen of these locations, located in the four states we report on.
New York State has a coastal flood monitor signalling Reynolds Channel running above flood stage at Point Outlook on the east end of Long Beach Barrier Island. Provisional data to be confirmed, more to follow.
March has been a month of heavy flooding in Georgia. As of this update, three rivers are still running over in the south. Ogeechee River flooding ended this morning near Eden. Satilla River is still up two inches over flood stage at Atkinson. Altamaha River is starting to slow down at the top end near Charlotteville while Savannah River thinks about turning back into the channel at Burtons Ferry Road. Altamaha and Satilla are still rising near the outlets as the bulk of flood water moves on through to the Atlantic.
See black tags on the map for flood levels updated daily and a running timeline of the March 2024 flood event here: WaterToday Georgia
Louisiana marks another day of flooding in Regions 1, 4 and 7 Thursday. Rivers are roaming out of their courses on the east side and west side of the state again today, six monitoring stations supplying the provisional data for this report. After the spring equinox, Bayou Dorcheat is still flooding near Springhill and downstream Minden. Bayou Bodcau is overflowing near Shreveport. Pearl River is still out of the channel near Bogalusa and at the municipality of Pearl River.
See the black tags on the map for updated flood flow values at WaterToday Louisiana https://www.wtla.us
Ohio is not contributing to the flood conversation this morning, the current streamflows in Ohio are normal to much below normal.
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.
Harmful Algal Blooms - Lake Erie HAB from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
Ohio EPA cites spring rains as the main factor dislodging and transporting nutrients off the landscape of Maumee River watershed into the Lake Erie west basin. To the degree that we have rain, we can expect to see the mobilization of dissolved phosphate toward Lake Erie, which in turn feeds cyanobacteria resident in the lake. WTOH has kept a watchful eye on the sleepy HAB over the winter, with localized dribs and drabs popping up from time to time, all at moderate to low concentration.
After the storms last week and reported flooding of Portage and Tiffin Rivers over the weekend, more HAB activity is showing up in Lake Erie, it looks like the HAB may be stirring from its winter slumber.
In a recent satellite image supplied by the NCCOS dated March 17, we see HAB activity in open water off Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, along shore at Magee Marsh and Metzger Marsh wildlife areas, up in the Portage River channel upstream of the outlet at Port Clinton, and along the shoreline between Vermilion River and Huron River outlets. The flurry of new HAB activity is notable. So far, all HABs have the appearance of moderate concentration, 100 thousand cells per 100 ml or less.
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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