7/25/2024
WT Staff
 HAPPENING NOW
Thursday, July 25 2024
Sandusky City water test update
July 25, 2024 updated 747 pm EDT
WT HAB Tracker from state sources and where available, the satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Ohio: The latest image of Lake Erie west basin is completely cloud obscured, this was captured July 24 while the wind blew on the lake at 14.2 mph. The previous image taken July 23 is mostly cloud obscured, showing only a block of the widespread Lake Erie HAB emanating from the Michigan shoreline. North Maumee Bay HAB is also visible in this image, this is the concentration hot spot for all of Lake Erie including Sandusky Bay. Sandusky Bay Aphanizomenon HAB was last spotted through clouds on July 21, the inner bay area from Pickerel Point to OH-269 bridge appearing as dispersed mats, the outer bay area still formed as a dense mat. The July 20 image shows the HAB developing outside Sandusky Bay, encroaching on Sandusky City main water intake. Sandusky City has posted test results for the period July 7 - 20, total microcystins still below the minimum reporting level. See the latest Ohio HAB report, available here.
New York
Vermont Dept of Health officials have confirmed that no algal toxin test results are available for Baie Missisquoi in Lake Champlain. Canadian public health authorities overseeing environmental health for Baie Missisquoi have also been asked for input with local water testing and toxin loads, more to follow.
The latest upload of Lake Champlain was captured July 24 at unknown surface wind conditions. The Baie Missisquoi HAB appears as dispersed mats in the south part of the bay on the US side of the border in Vermont, the concentration has dropped a bit lower, uniformly at the 900 thousand cells per 100 ml. The north half of the bay is still densely occupied with HAB, a small hotspot near the east shore near the north end of the water body remains at the 2 million cells per 100 ml concentration, the majority of the bloom mat is 900 thousand to 1 million cells per 100 ml.
According to the National Institutes for Health, this part of Lake Champlain is classified eutrophic, defined as "a lake or other body of water rich in nutrients and so supporting a dense plant population, the decomposition of which kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen". Eutrophic lakes often support accelerated growth of cyanobacteria, microcystis is the common form in this lake.
From the NYS DEC HABs reporting center, seventy-two reports are on the sheet Thursday morning, up from sixty-six yesterday at this time. HABs have made a seasonal debut in Genesee County's Trestle Park Pond. Golden Pond, Oakland Pond, Seneca River and Lake Welch have been cleared from the list overnight. Updates are in progress. See bluegreen tags on the map to the right, the full list of water bodies impacted is found here.
Louisiana: The latest upload from the NCCOS July 24 is completely cloud obscured. The last image with any view of the southeast water bodies was caught July 23 at surface wind speed 1.7 mph. This image is mostly cloud obscured with a view of Black Bay and Chandeleur Sound HABs, widespread at concentrations ranging from 200 to 600 thousand cells per 100 ml. In the previous image, also cloud obscured, we could identify Lac des Allemands and Bayou Fortier HABs at moderate concentration. The latest HAB report for Louisiana strings together a description of the southeast water bodies HAB position, extent and concentrations as we have been able to glimpse them through the clouds over the last seven days, the report is here.
California: The latest HAB report from California Water Boards is down to one DANGER-level alert and three HAB WARNING postings. The DANGER advisory applies to San Antonio Lake in Monterey County; the HAB WARNINGS apply to Pyramid Lake south water near the dam, Santee Lake #7 near the campground and a pond in Heritage Park, San Diego County. These advisories warn to avoid all contact with this water.
HAB DANGER and WARNING advisories can be found on the map with bluegreen tags. All advisories, including Caution and algal mat general awareness are listed in the California HAB Tracker report, here.
Georgia: Jekyll Island's beaches have tested clear for bacteria in the latest update from Coastal Health Region. Two beaches under permanent advisory tested 0 bacteria colony forming units in the latest quarterly test, July 1 2024. Georgia Healthy Beaches program of Coastal Public Health tests beaches, posting permanent and temporary advisories about bacteria levels. No new information has been found on the presence of HABs in Georgia since our last update. Georgia Environmental Protection Division takes reports on suspicious algal blooms, we are checking with the EPD for updates, more to follow. The latest Georgia beach advisories are available here.
See the North American drainage basin map here, scroll all the way down to see how surface water moves across the continent into the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Oceans. WT Media Group tells the story of water in three countries, Canada, USA and Mexico. See the drinking water advisories, hazardous spills, floods, drought and harmful algal blooms plotted on the maps, as the water flows. Check out the CrimeBox for historic prosecutions under the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act box for details on public drinking water facilities, interviews with the scientists and tech developers on the leading edge of clean water technology here.
As many drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the reservoirs, requiring additional treatments to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to warmer temperatures in the reservoir and can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present. WT tracks streamflow trends with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in each of the state's watersheds. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the direction of flow and streamflows that may be impacting drinking water today.
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.
Harmful Algal Blooms: WT follows the movement and growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs) as provided by the satellite monitoring program of the NCCOS for New York's Lake Champlain, Ohio's Lake Erie and Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding area. Interpretation of satellite images is best in clear conditions at wind speed less than 4 mph, where the appearance and extent of HABs is reliably matched to a color scale for concentration. HABs are known to produce algal toxins of concern for raw drinking water sources and recreational water bodies. Plan beach access to avoid HABs and consider carrying a rapid test kit to detect the toxin microcystins.
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