12/7/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
HAB band 3 miles wide
Rain in the forecast this weekend
Up to the minute water news for Thursday, December 7, 2023 - last updated 612 pm
Harmful Algal Bloom update based on the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program -
NCCOS latest satellite image of west basin Lake Erie was captured December 6 at undetermined surface wind speed. This image shows Lake Erie east of Sandusky Bay. West side is completely cloud obscured.
The interpretation given on the map and HABs button are from the portions of the Dec 4 and Dec 6 images that offer a limited view, the remaining areas interpretations are based on the last clear image available, November 30 capture.
Open water east of Sandusky Bay shows a band of dispersed HABS running parallel with the shore from Cedar Point outside Sandusky Bay to well past Vermilion-on-the-Lake. The band of HABs appears to be 3 to 5 miles wide and the concentration is what we have been seeing in the late fall Lake Erie HABs, 100 thousand cells per 100 ml.
Drinking Water matters
Note this is the last week for mandatory testing for the algal toxin microcystins in surface sourced raw drinking water supplies. As HABs are still active in Lake Erie and certain facilities are still finding microcystins above the mandatory reporting level, facilities can elect to continue testing for harmful algae toxins in drinking water supplies.
The latest microcystins results from Celina City total microcystins measured at 3.2 micrograms per liter as of November 26 test, taken from Grand Lake raw water intake.
The City of Findlay has an active BWA for customers on South Main Street and West Sandusky Street. South Main Street addresses 500, 506, 508, 512, 520 and 524; West Sandusky Street: 103, 117, 119, 119 and a half, and 125 are included in the need to boil water for safety.
City of Findlay supplies potable water to over 20 thousand combined residential and wholesale customers with water sourced from the Blanchard River and reservoirs. Blanchard River is a tributary of the Auglaize and Maumee Rivers in the Lake Erie drainage basin. City of Findlay posts November 24 testing for microcystins .598 micrograms per liter, more than double the minimum reporting level.
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real time flow monitors across Ohio
Current streamflow readings across the state are an mix of normal to below normal with an increasing number of stations tipping into much below normal depth Thursday. One gage recording a low-rated flow, Tymochtee Creek, is a tributary of Sandusky River in the Lake Erie west basin. Tymochtee Creek flow as recorded at Crawford is less than half a cubic foot per second and just over 2 ft deep.
None of the gages of Ohio are recording high flows as of this update.
Drought situation from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Yesterday we saw the drought map take a downward step in severity with at least one area on each side of the state divide improving. In the Lake Erie basin, the Lower Maumee watershed shifted from moderate hydrologic drought to below normal. In the Middle Ohio minor tributaries, the Raccoon-Symmes watershed stepped down from moderate to below normal.
While the severity ratings declined, the overall area rated on the drought map increased yesterday, including the Upper Scioto River watershed and Upper Ohio tributary Mahoning River. All of this remains on the drought map Thursday.
Auglaize River watershed remains rated severe with the surrounding watersheds rated below normal, Blanchard, Upper Maumee, Lower Maumee, St Josephs, St Marys watersheds included. Tiffin River watershed came off the drought map earlier this week and remains off Thursday.
South of the divide, the adjacent basins Great Miami and Scioto Rivers are below normal. These rivers are major tributaries of the Ohio River, itself a major tributary of the Mississippi. Lower Scioto River basin is not appearing on the drought map yet, however, as the effects of high and low flows move downstream, we could expect to see the below normal rating spread down to the Lower Scioto in the coming days.
For the Ohio River minor tributaries, we have the Upper Ohio - Mahoning River watershed below normal as yesterday. Further down the Ohio River, the Shade River watershed Meigs and Washington Counties are below normal, and from here, all minor tributaries draining surface area to the Ohio River are rated below normal up to the west border.
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.
As the drought conditions shift and change in the Ohio River basin, track the effects south down the Mississippi River into to Louisiana, rated "Exceptional Drought", the highest category on the National Drought map. Visit WTLA.us for more information on downstream effects.
Hazardous Spills Hotline records as reported to OEPA 1-800-282-9378 Updates in progress
Anyone with knowledge of a spill is legally obliged to report immediately to local authorities or the OEPA spill hotline, any day of the week at any time. The spiller or responders in control of a spill on site will be ideally follow protocol for containment and handling of hazardous materials to minimize impact on waterways, including preventing escape down storm drains or tile drains. WTOH.us reports spills as the incident reports are released by the OEPA to bring awareness to events with potential to impact drinking water sources.
See the CWA Crimebox for historic criminal convictions involving hazardous spills deliberate and accidental discharges, where the responsible parties have included top level executives and business owners, supervisors and employees, along with the fines, probation and even jail time for knowingly or negligently discharging contaminants without a permit to do so.
WTOH.us brings incident reports as recorded by the Ohio EPA spill line staff, and seeks additional details from Ohio EPA spokespeople as required. Check the pink location tags on the map with the watershed layer, labels and arrows switched on to see the area potentially impacted by the spill.
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