12/1/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Long Island, Finger Lakes region on the drought map
Rain for the weekend
Up to the minute NY water news for Friday, December 1 - last updated 451 pm EST
Floods and streamflow update from USGS WaterWatch
Sacandaga River is flowing much above normal at Stewarts Bridge Reservoir near Hadley as rains fill the channels. More rain is expected through the weekend. More to follow.
Streamflows are picking up by mid-afternoon in northeast and central basins, including above normal flows in Lake Champlain watershed. Hudson River basin flows are picking up sending more water down to Long Island Sound. None of the monitors are picking up 99th percentile flows as of midafternoon Friday.
Much below normal flows continue in the northwest Great Lakes basin, including the Niagara River - Lake Erie, Genesee River, Oswego River and Finger Lakes watersheds. Canaseraga Creek station above Dansville is still registering low flow, 2nd percentile from 88.9 square miles of surface area drainage.
See the FLOOD button to the right of the map for details on the high and low flows recorded on the USGS network of streamflow gages through the state.
Drought map from USGS WaterWatch
Long Island makes the drought map Friday, falling below normal for the first time this week. With fog this morning and rain in the forecast for the weekend this rating is likely short term.
Newcomer to the drought map Friday is a large area of the Oswego River - Finger Lakes watershed, rated below normal. Returning to the drought map is the Lake Ontario minor tributaries west watershed, also rated below normal and the Chemung River watershed, a tributary of Susquehanna River which exits NYS to the south and empties into Chesapeake Bay. Rain forecast for today and over the weekend could bring the trend back around to normal by next week.
Carrying on from yesterday and earlier this week, the Allegheny River watershed in the southwest, and the south area of Niagara River-Lake Erie watershed remain below normal.
Joining the Upper Genesee River watershed in advanced drought rating, the north strip of the Niagara River - Lake Erie watershed has stepped up to moderate drought rating today. This increases the surface area rated moderate hydrologic drought from 1400 square miles to approximately 1750 square miles.
HABs update from NY DEC HABs Notifications Center
Now that the monitoring season has come to a close, we look at HAB mitigation efforts. Action Plans for specific lakes are available on line from the NY Department of Water, Bureau of Water Assessment and Management here https://www.dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/harmful-algal-blooms/action-plans#Action
"Local support and implementation of each plan's recommended actions are crucial to successfully preventing and combatting HABs. The New York State Water Quality Rapid Response Team has established a one-stop shop funding portal and stands ready to assist all localities in securing funding and expeditiously implementing priority projects.
Communities and watershed organizations are encouraged to review the plan for their lake, particularly the proposed actions, and work with state and local partners to implement those recommendations. Individuals can get involved with local groups and encourage their communities or organizations to act."
Highlights of the 2023 HAB season will be available in the coming weeks. WTNY.us will be back with a season wrap up report looking at the most HAB-afflicted water bodies in New York State over the last few years. More to follow.
Did you see HABs this past season? Let WTNY know how HABs has impacted your enjoyment of state waters. Email us alerts@wtny.us.
Hazardous Spills the latest reports released from NY DEC as reported to the NY Emergency Spill Hotline 1-800-457-7362
A sunken vessel is leaking an unknown amount of engine fluids and gasoline in Oyster Bay off Beach Rd in Massapequa, reported over the weekend. Shellfish habitat can be impacted by spills in this area.
Sheepshead Bay Barge Pier 9 oil sheen reported, the source and cause of the sheen are listed as unknown. The report was made over the weekend in Kings County. More to follow.
See the Spills button to the right of the map for more spill incidents reported in NYS.
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