12/26/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Grove City wastewater spill
West Union wastewater spill impacts Ohio River tributary
Up to the minute water news for Tuesday, December 26, 2023 - last updated 936 am EST
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Mostly normal streamflow values registering Tuesday in the northwest following months of below normal to low values. South of the divide in the west, streamflows continue below normal to normal with three stations recording values rated much below normal in the state.
There are no stations sending extreme low or high flow signals as of this update.
Drought situation from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Auglaize River watershed has finally recovered from a lengthly period of severe drought, showing up below normal Tuesday. Adjacent watersheds in the northwest are rated below normal, including Blanchard River, recovered from moderate drought. On the east side draining to Lake Erie, Grand River watershed is no longer rated below normal.
South of the drainage divide, Upper Ohio minor tributaries Shenango River watershed on the Ohio side of the line is rated below normal, Mahoning River watershed is no longer rated on the drought map. Little Beaver Creek and Wheeling Creek watersheds remain in below normal footing, with next in ling Shade River at the severe drought rating. From Shade River, the Ohio River tributaries area is rated below normal to the west state line, inlcuding the Raccoon-Symmes watershed, the Lower Scioto Tygarts, Brush - Whiteoak watershed and Laughery watershed. Major tributary basins rated on the drought map Tuesday include the Scioto River's Paint Creek watershed, and all of the Great Miami River drainage basin in west state, rated below normal.
Harmful Algal Bloom update based on the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
No new images have been uploaded from the NCCOS for Lake Erie west basin since our last update. The latest satellite image was captured Dec 20 at undetermined surface wind speed showing the widespread HAB in Lake Erie running in a band along shore from Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge to the Toussaint River outlet up to four miles wide in places. Compared to the Dec 19 image, the bloom area grew wider, the density increased and the concentration increased from 100 thousand cells per 100 ml to 200 thousand cells per 100 ml in places. See the bluegreen tags on the map for details.
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.
Drinking Water matters
Belmont County, St. Clairsville BWA has been rescinded.
Hazardous Spills Hotline records as reported to OEPA 1-800-282-9378
A wastewater spill reported Friday appears to have come from an industrial facility off Southwest Boulevard and Lewis Center Way in Grove City, Franklin County. The report indicates unknown amount of wastewater spilled, no impact to water is mentioned. A wastewater spill reported Thursday impacted East Fork Eagle Creek from an address in West Union, in the Ohio Brush - Whiteoak watershed at Adams County. More to follow.
See the pink tags on the map for more hazardous material spills reported in Ohio.
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