3/1/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Critical condition countdown begins for Lake Erie
Dry conditions in Maumee Watershed
Water news for Friday, March 1, 2024 1044 am EST
Tracking the Lake Erie HAB - Harmful Algal Bloom National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
NCCOS latest image was captured Thursday February 29 at surface wind speed 16.3 mph.
This latest image is a high wind speed for assessing the extent of Lake Erie HAB, though nothing like what we looked at yesterday from the image captured during Wednesday's high wind event. Our last satellite view of Lake Erie was captured at surface wind over 35 mph. Winds above 4 mph can sink the bloom mass and mix the cyanobacterial down the water column. Surface observation may give the impression the HAB is gone, when it can be submerged. As raw drinking water supply intakes are at depth, a high wind speed should prompt further investigation, checking with the buoy sensors, and moreso at water tests.
According to sources at Centers for Disease Control and the federal EPA, algal toxins can be present in the water even when the bloom is no longer observed. Observation is just one part of the vigilance required for the security of drinking water, mandatory testing for microcystin will resume according to the OEPA schedule in spring.
In the Feb 29 capture, HAB activity is visible around the edges of cloud cover over open water off the Ohio shoreline from the Huron River outlet. The coloration on the image indicates a moderate concentration bloom, similar to what has been observed all through the cold season, 100 thousand cells per 100 ml.
March 1 marks the beginning of the defined "Critical condition" for the feeding of the Lake Erie HAB. According to the OEPA, the state agency watching over the Total Daily Maximum Load plan for Lake Erie, the spring thaw and precipitation over the next 153 day period will determine the Lake Erie water quality for 2024. During the critical condition, the winter's accumulation of manure is spread on agricultural fields. Even when the regulations are diligently observed and followed, rainfall runoff can carry water-soluble nutrients off fields and streambanks to the lake. This is the single greatest factor indicating feeding conditions for the Lake Erie HAB, stormwater runoff being out of the realm of control and enforcement by OEPA, a non-point source determined by the amount of rainfall. More to follow.
Streamflows and the Drought map from USGS Waterwatch 7-day average streamflow compared with historic flow for today's date
Streamflows are mostly normal through the Ohio River - Mississippi River surface drainage basins of east, central and West state Friday . North of the state divide in the Lake Erie drainage area, streamflows are below normal to much below seasonal normal in the west, shifting to predominantly normal in the east.
Watersheds of the Maumee River region in northwest Ohio are taking turns on the drought map this week. Auglaize River watershed has been replaced by St.Josephs and Tiffin River watersheds, rated below normal Friday. On the east side of Ohio's contribution to Lake Erie, Cuyahoga and Grand River watersheds remain on the drought map going into the weekend.
South of the height-of-land, the smallest of the Ohio River minor tributaries is all that remains on the drought map. Laughery watershed in central Hamilton County sticks at below normal Friday. All other areas are clear of a drought rating.
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.
USGS Provisional Data Statement
Data are provisional and subject to revision until they have been thoroughly reviewed and received final approval. Current condition data relayed by satellite or other telemetry are automatically screened to not display improbable values until they can be verified.
Provisional data may be inaccurate due to instrument malfunctions or physical changes at the measurement site. Subsequent review based on field inspections and measurements may result in significant revisions to the data.
Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Information concerning the accuracy and appropriate uses of these data or concerning other hydrologic data may be obtained from the USGS.
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