2/20/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Much below normal, low flows both sides of the divide
Maumee watershed, Cuyahoga-Grand River, Shade River in moderate drought
Water news for Tuesday, February 20, 2024 1127 am EST
Streamflow Situation from USGS Waterwatch based on real-time flow monitors across Ohio
Ohio state presents mostly below normal Tuesday with much below normal rated streamflows occuring with regularity in all drainage basins.
Two extreme low flows registering Tuesday morning, one in the Upper Great Miami River and another north of the divide in the Huron River watershed.
Drinking Water Matters
Lake Erie is the drinking water source for 12.5 million people in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario, Canada, including 3 million people in Ohio.
Countdown is on to the critical window for Lake Erie water quality 2024. WTOH.us is observing and reporting streamflow levels in the west Lake Erie drainage basin, also known as the Maumee River watershed, check back here for a daily update on the moisture conditions in this sensitive landscape with the potential to accelerate or manage the Lake Erie HAB for the upcoming season.
Drought map from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Almost all Ohio surface area is now rated below normal, with few watersheds excepted. In the northwest, St Josephs and Tiffin River, Cedar-Portage River watershed are the only watersheds not appearing on the drought map. Maumee River watershed Upper and Lower are below normal, St Marys River and Auglaize River watersheds escalated to moderate drought over the weekend. Blanchard, Ottawa River are rated below normal.
In the Lake Erie basin east of Sandusky Bay, the Cuyahoga, Grand and Ashtabula Chagrin River watersheds are rated moderate drought, all other watersheds of the Erie basin are rated below normal.
South of the drainage divide, Shade River watershed remains at moderate drought rating, along with Wills Creek watershed of the Muskingum drainage basin.
In the Ohio River minor tributaries, the Wheeling Creek and Laughery watersheds are not rated, Shade River and Raccoon-Symmes watersheds are moderate drought Tuesday.
Wills Creek watershed of Muskingum River basin is rated moderate drought. The remainder of the Muskingum, Scioto and Great Miami basins are rated below normal, with the exception of Tygarts watershed.
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.
Harmful Algal Bloom HAB Update
A clear image captured by satellite on Feb 19 at a surface wind speed of 4.7 mph shows Lake Erie open water, shoreline and islands. A widespread HAB can be seen around Metzer Marsh wildlife area, east side Catawba Island inland harbor and shoreline, localized HABs along the north shore of South Bass, Middle Bass and Kelleys Island, inside the outer Sandusky Bay, and localized HAB along shore near Huron. All HABs match the concentration 100 thousand cells per 100 ml.
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