12/28/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Barnesville, East Palestine, Nelsonville BWAs
Shade River watershed severe drought breaks
Up to the minute water news for Thursday, December 28, 2023 - last updated 441 pm EST
Drinking Water matters
Barnesville issued a BWA yesterday in order to make water line repairs for all service connections on East Main Street between Henderson Street and Warren Avenue. Any other locations experiencing a loss in pressure yesterday should also be boiling water until further notice.
East Palestine has issued a BWA following a water main break and service outage on Decmber 26. The BWA applies to customers on South Market Street from 183 South Market going South to the Threshold property including Short, Young, and Oak Street.
Nelsonville issued a BWA following work to connect a new water main to Murray Drive yesterday. The precautionary boil order is in effect until 3 p.m. tomorrow, Friday December 29.
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Much above normal streamflows in the northeast and south of the divide, all through the Ohio River minor tributaries has shifted the Ohio drought map we see today. Shade River was recorded yesterday with much above normal flow near Chester, indicating the end of severe drought in Meigs County. Current streamflows in the southwest Great Miami River basin remain below normal with two stations reporting much below normal, similar to yesterday.
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
The big change in Ohio's drought picture today, Shade River watershed has shaken off the severe drought rating, coming into a seasonal normal position overnight.
Upper and Lower Maumee River and Blanchard River watersheds are blank spaces on the drought map today after a lengthy term rated below normal. St Josephs River, Tiffin River and Auglaize River watersheds remain below normal Thursday.
South of the drainage divide, the Upper Ohio River minor tributaries are relieved of the drought rating. Mahoning River, Shenango River, Little Beaver Creek, Wheeling Creek and Shade River watersheds all blank spaces today, representing a return to seasonal normal.
Toward the west, Middle Ohio River minor tributary Raccoon-Symmes watershed is still showing up rated below normal. Scioto River basin's Tygarts watershed hangs on to the moderate drought title we saw yesterday. Ohio minor tributary Brush- Whiteoak watershed is absent the drought map today, as is the Lower Scioto River watershed area, all back to normal. Scioto River basin's Paint River watershed remains below normal along with the entire Great Miami River basin.
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.
Harmful Algal Bloom update based on the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
NCCOS has not uploaded a new image today, we reported yesterday on the latest capture being December 26 at surface wind speed unknown. The image is mostly cloud obscured, one hole in the cloud over Lake Erie reveals clear water with no HAB activity detected around the international border midlake. >br>
The latest clear view of Lake Erie was taken Dec 20, showing a spectacular band of HABs approximately four miles wide and moderate concentration 100 to 200 thousand cells per 100 ml. Cloud cover prevents us from visualizing the HAB today, however we expect to see the HAB again when the clouds break. More to follow. See the bluegreen tags on the map for an interpretation of the HAB activity of Dec 20.
Hazardous Spills Hotline records as reported to OEPA 1-800-282-9378
Organic sheen reported yesterday on the Muskingum River at Tuscarawas Township off Clow Lane and South 2nd St. According to the coordinates given in the report and a lookup of the industrial facilities in the area, Coshocton Sewage Treatment Plant, a body shop, a truck shop and other industrial processor are within a block of the reported sheen. More to follow.
A spill of elemental alkali metals is reported off Pershing Road in Springfield Township, Muskingum County yesterday. An unknown amount of soft, silvery-white metal beryllium, the Royal Society of Chemistry says is used in gears and cogs in the aviation industry is reported discharged along with unknown amount of lithium. Of lithium, the Royal Society of Chemistry says, "The most important use of lithium is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys and clocks. Lithium metal is made into alloys with aluminium and magnesium, improving their strength and making them lighter. A magnesium-lithium alloy is used for armour plating. Aluminium-lithium alloys are used in aircraft, bicycle frames and high-speed trains." Lithium is said to reacti vigorously with water, fortunately this spill incident does not include an impact to water.
See the pink tags on the map for more hazardous material spills reported in Ohio.
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