1/5/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Muskingum tributary Hocking River watershed rated on drought map
A Toledo BWA remains in effect until Saturday at 5
Water news for Friday, January 5, 2024 - last updated 1236 pm EST
Drinking Water matters
City of Toledo BWA remains in effect for customers between Ketner Avenue and Oldham Drive until Saturday, January 6 at 5 pm.
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Below normal to normal flows in central and west Ohio with Shade River flowing much below seasonal normal at Chester Friday. West Ohio flows are predominantly much below normal through the Great Miami basin Friday.
There are no USGS gauges reporting extreme high or low flow values as of this update.
Drought situation from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Muskingum River tributary Hocking River watershed shows up on the drought map Friday with a below normal rating touching east Fairfield, Hocking, Perry and Athens Counties. Middle Ohio River minor tributaries Brush Creek and Whiteoak Creek watersheds are showing below normal, along with Lower Scioto River's Tygarts watershed, still below normal. Lower Great Miami River watershed remains in moderate drought, including Preble, Montgomery, Butler and northwest Hamilton Counties. Upper Great Miami remains in below normal status on the Ohio drought map Friday.
On the Lake Erie side of the state divide, Auglaize River watershed remains at moderate drought, with adjacent St Marys watershed remaining 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
A new image provided by NCCOS Friday, captured on Jan 4 at surface wind conditions undetermined gives a view of the Maumee Bay and west shore of Lake Erie. Maumee Bay shows widespread HAB around the mouth and upstream into Maumee River 100 thousand cells per 100 ml. North Maumee Bay HAB along shore of the North Cape similar concentration. Widespread HAB activity in open water off Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge extends up to the Michigan coast near Monroe. Port Clinton has a large HAB near the outlet of Portage River at a higher concentration than any seen recently, 300-400 thousand cells per 100 ml. More HABs appear along the west shore of Catawba Island, 100 thousand cells per 100 ml. View of the open water around the South, Middle Bass Islands, Ile St Georga and Kelleys Island show no visible HABs. An area of clear water can be seen in Sandusky Bay between clouds, no HAB activity noted there. Clouds completely obscure the view east of Sandusky Bay.
Hazardous Spills Hotline records as reported to OEPA 1-800-282-9378
Two spills on December 26 impacted water bodies in Ohio, according to OEPA. The first incident sent unknown amounts of hydraulic fluid and paint waste into the Muskingum River off South 2nd St in the City of Coshocton, Tuscarawas Township, Coshocton County. A sheen was reported at the incident site on the Muskingum River. The Muskingum is a major tributary of the Ohio River, forming at Coshocton by the confluence of the Walhonding and Tuscarawas Rivers.
A second spill incident occurring the same day contributed an unknown amount of antifreeze, hydraulic oil and motor oil into Prairie Creek from E South Street in Bryan, Williams County. The Tiffin River tributary impacted by this spill discharges into the Lake Erie west basin drainage area. See the streamflow situation, HABs and drought map sections of this update for more Lake Erie west basin information.
See the pink tags on the map for more hazardous material spills reported in Ohio.
Note 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.
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