1/1/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
New NCCOS image of Lake Erie west basin
Normal streamflows for the New Year in central and east state
Water news for Monday, January 1, 2023 - last updated 1124 am EST
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Mainly normal flows in central and west Ohio for New Year's Day with a handful of rated stations registering below normal. The below to much below normal situation continues through the west with one much below normal reading on the Auglaize River in Lake Erie basin and half a dozen stations rated much below normal in the Mississippi drainage area south of the state divide. The Great Miami River and tributaries continue to the below normal trend with clear sunny skies in the forecast for Dayton and Cincinnati offering no indication of a change.
There are no USGS gauges reporting extreme low or high flow values on the first day of 2024.
Drought situation from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Auglaize River watershed remains the lone area of the Lake Erie basin rated on the drought map Monday morning. South of the state drainage divide, one watershed of the Lower Scioto River basin remains below normal, Tygarts watershed through east Scioto and west Lawrence Counties. The Great Miami River Upper and Lower watersheds remain on the drought map into the new calendar, rated below normal.
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 streamflow conditions shift and change in the Ohio River basin, track the effects south down the Mississippi River into to Louisiana. Louisiana is rated "Exceptional Drought" on the USA National drought map, experiencing the most prolonged and severe dry conditions in decades. To see how surface water streamflows impact downstream drinking water supplies, visit WTLA.us.
Harmful Algal Bloom update based on the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
NCCOS latest image upload was captured December 30 at unknown wind speed. This image, like December 26 image, is mostly cloud obscured. Gaps in the cloud cover show Lake Erie off shore from Monroe Michigan, where we see a large localized HAB of moderate concentration. Another cloud break gives a view of the Ohio shoreline from Reno Beach to Camp Perry where we see significant HAB activity in the bay of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, and another large localized HAB at the Toussaint River outlet, both HABs appear moderate concentration. The cloud break gives a view three to five into open water of Lake Erie, no HAB activity detected there.
The latest completely 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.
Drinking Water matters
Barnesville, Nelsonville and East Palestine BWAs may still be in effect. More to follow here.
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