3/13/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Lake Erie HAB on MI shore
Streamflows slowing statewide
Water news for Wednesday, March 13, 2024 1058 am EDT
Drinking Water Advisories
City of Logan announced a boil order for North Wood and North Glenwood Drive customers following water main and fire hydrant repairs on Monday. City of Logan serves a resident population of 6704 from a groundwater source in the Hocking River watershed, Hocking County.
Streamflow Situation provisional data supplied by USGS
Streamflows recorded across Ohio state run a mix of normal to below seasonal normal flow levels. Over twenty stations run below normal flows midweek, these falling both sides of the state divide, up from seven stations rated below normal yesterday.
For Lake Erie drainage basin, Ohio's northwest streams and rivers are slowing down. Ratings in St Josephs, Tiffin River, Blanchard River run below normal while a tributary of the Sandusky River has hit extreme low end of the scale, 2nd percentile. In the northeast, two ratings are below normal, one of these being near the Cuyahoga River outlet, much below normal, 9th percentile.
South of the state divide, the slowing of the waterways continues. The greatest change is seen in the upper drainage basins, Upper Ohio minor tributaries Mahoning River, Muskingum basin's Tuscarawas River watershed has lit up below normal, Muskingum River itself has a below normal rating at Dresden. In Central Ohio, the Upper Scioto tributaries Olentangy River and Alum Creek have slowed right down. In the west, a tributary of the Great Miami River is showing up below normal, Sevenmile Creek at Camden.
As of this report, there are no high flows or active floodings recorded.
Drought Map USGS 7-day average streamflow against seasonal average
St Josephs River watershed remains the one part of Ohio on the drought map Wednesday. The down-shift in streamflows will send more area to the drought map as 7-day averages drop below seasonal normal. More to follow.
Harmful Algal Blooms - Lake Erie HAB from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
The latest image from NCCOS was captured March 12 at a surface wind speed 21.3 mph. The image is completely clear, though the high wind speed makes for an unreliable estimate of HAB extent.
Localized HABs appear along the Michigan shore near Monroe, matching 100 thousand cells per 100 ml. No other HAB activity is visible in this image, note high wind causes bloom to submerge out of sight for surface observation or satellite imaging.
Flood-wise driving, flood-smart autos
The arrival of spring in Ohio has been smooth sailing so far, just one brief occurence of the nation's most common natural disaster. Portage River rampaged outside of an orderly flow through its channel at Woodville, beginning 4 am Sunday and subsiding by 11 am the same day. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spring flood forecast, flood risk in Ohio is normal to below normal for this time of year. With virtually no snow melt contributing to flood risk, the anticipated incidence of minor flooding is 25% or more, and this will be river flooding caused by thunderstorms and rainfall.
Should flooding occur in Ohio this season, we look to the emergency preparedness and public safety advice offered by the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The main messaging from all public safety agencies is aimed at drivers.
Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
"Never drive through flooded areas. As little as six inches of water can cause you to lose control of your vehicle." According to the CDC, "The most common flood deaths occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood waters."
WTOH.us spoke with representatives of auto manufacturers at the 2024 International Auto Show to find out which makes are building flood safety into their products. As more vehicles are going electric, how might this change the risk for drivers and their passengers when dealing with flooding? We put these questions to Volvo, automotive industry safety leader, to Polestar, another Swedish vehicle, Ford-Lincoln, General Motors and Nissan. Check back here for the responses.
Hazardous Spills
Spills in Ohio are reported to the 24 hour emergency spill hotline with response handled by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 24/7 at 1-800-282-9378 or 614-224-0946. Anyone with knowledge of a spill of hazardous material is to make a report. Refer to the Spill button to the right of the map for more details on the latest incidents reported to OEPA.
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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