3/27/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Lake Erie HAB expands off Vermilion-on-the-Lake
Rayland BWA
Water news for Wednesday, March 27, 2024 updated 1203 pm
Drinking Water Advisories
Jefferson County: The Village of Rayland is under a BWA after a water main break at Adams Lane and State Route 150. The Village of Rayland water system serves a population of 417 residents from a groundwater purchased source.
Lucas County: A portion of the village of Whitehouse is under a boil advisory after a water main break at Waterville Street and Pelton Drive. Whitehouse Village water system serves 5200 residents from surface water purchased.
See yellow tags on the map for more boil water advisories.
Streamflow Situation provisional data supplied by USGS
Much above normal to high flows for east Ohio on the current streamflow map Wednesday with a 99th percentile flow in the Little Muskingum River near Bloomfield. Streamflows on the west side remain below normal to much below normal, Blanchard River still flowing low 1st percentile near Findlay.
As many Ohio drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water bodies including lakes, rivers and reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the raw source water, requiring additional treatment to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to shallower conditons and warmer temperatures in surface water bodies, which can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present.
WTOH.us tracks current streamflow conditions with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in 32 watersheds of the state's 5 drainage basins. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the high and low streamflows that may be impacting drinking water water in Ohio today.
Drought Map USGS 7-day average streamflow against seasonal average
Blanchard River watershed has descended deeper into drought overnight for a second day in a row, currently rated extreme hydrologic drought. Moderate hydrologic drought ratings remain as reported yesterday now including the Upper Wabash River watershed in the Lake Erie west drainage basin, joining the Upper Ohio minor tributaries Little Beaver Creek, Raccoon-Symmes, Shade River watersheds at moderate drought.
The remainder of Ohio surface area is at minimum rated below normal with three watersheds as yet unrated. St Mary's River watershed is the lone area of Lake Erie west drainage basin not rated Wednesday. Black-Rocky River watershed on the Lake Erie drainage basin north central evades the drought map. Upper Ohio minor tributary Wheeling Creek and Muskingum River basin Little Muskingum River watershed are not rated.
Flood Tracker provisional data from USGS streamflow monitors
Twenty-three streamflow gauges record flow above flood stage in continental USA Wednesday morning, down from thirty-five yesterday. WT tracks eight of these locations, four in Georgia and four in Louisiana.
Hudson River ran over briefly yesterday at Piermont while Great South Bay was above flood stage at Lindenhurst and West Sayville. As of Wednesday, no flooding is recorded at any monitored location in the NYS USGS network.
Louisiana has one less flood location to report overnight as Pearl River calmed down into its channel near Bogalusa around 2 am this morning. As of this update, Louisiana east border Pearl River is still flooding at the Town of Pearl River in St. Tammany Parish. In northwest LA, Bayou Dorcheat is still flooding near Springhill, Bayou Bodcau still flooding near Shreveport. On the west LA border, Sabine River is still overflowing in the south near Ruliff TX.
Georgia has experienced widespread flooding through the month of March, beginning with heavy rains March 6 starting the creeks and tributaries overflowing on both sides of the state drainage divide. Today is Day 21 of the March 2024 Georgia floods. Savannah River is no longer overflowing at Burtons Ferry Road near Millhaven, receding below minor flood stage around 1130 pm last night. Altamaha River is still overflowing near Baxley, the last of four Altamaha monitoring stations recording flooding over the last weeks. Savannah River still floods near Cylo, Ohoopee River is running six inches over flood stage near Reidsville and Little Satilla about the same, half a foot over flood stage near Offerman. Satilla River flowed out of the channel at GA158 near Waycross the first part of this week. That flooding ending this morning around 230 am.
See black tags on the map for flood levels updated daily and a running timeline of the March 2024 flood event here: WaterToday Georgia
As of this report, OH does not report active flooding in the USGS network of streamflow monitors.
Harmful Algal Blooms - Lake Erie HAB from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
Ohio EPA cites spring rains as the main factor dislodging and transporting nutrients off the landscape of Maumee River watershed into the Lake Erie west basin. To the degree that we have rain, we can expect to see the mobilization of dissolved phosphate toward Lake Erie, which in turn feeds cyanobacteria resident in the lake. WTOH has kept a watchful eye on the sleepy HAB over the winter, with localized dribs and drabs popping up from time to time, all at moderate to low concentration.
After the flooding of Portage and Tiffin Rivers last weekend, a burst of HAB activity showed up in Lake Erie as captured by the NCCOS satellite imaging on March 17. Since this time, the Maumee River watershed has been dry, even to extreme drought rating on the Blanchard River watershed.
The latest satellite image supplied by the NCCOS was captured March 25 at surface wind speed 15 mph, heavily cloud obscured with a clear view on the east side of the frame down to open water Lake Erie from Vermilion-on-the-Lake. A widespread HAB is visible at the edge of the cloud bank, approximately 5 nm off shore, moderate concentration, 100 thousand cells per 100 ml or less.
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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