3/16/2024
WT Staff
WEEKEND WATER REPORT
Above normal to much above normal flows upstate, Upper Hudson watersheds
Spills impact Flint Creek, Beaver Creek
Water news for Saturday, March 16, 2024 109 pm EDT
Streamflow Situation from USGS current streamflow monitors
As many NYS 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. WTNY.us tracks streamflow trends with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in each of the state's 17 watersheds. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the direction of flow and streamflows that may be impacting drinking water today.
Streamflows remain above normal to much above normal in Lake Champlain watershed Saturday. Port Henry station records the water level a foot below flood stage, watching this water level for movement over the next few days.
Upper Hudson River watershed is recording much above normal flows Saturday starting from North Creek, the monitoring station nearest the headwaters, down to Fort Edward. The Hudson runs above normal from Waterford to Green Island, normal from Green Island down to Piermont near the outlet in Long Island Sound. Long Island shows up with three creeks above the 90th percentile Saturday, up from two the last couple of days.
Southeast basin Chemung and Susquehanna River watersheds continue to run at seasonal normal levels. Delaware River streamflows above normal to much above normal, Ramapo all in at seasonal normal.
For the west state, Lower Genesee and Niagara River - Lake Erie drainage area streamflows have picked up to normal level, just one site measured below normal. Lower Genesee River tributary Oatka Creek offers much below normal flows Saturday, and the Finger Lakes Oswego River watershed draining west interior NYS to Lake Ontario recording mostly normal streamflow values.
No flooding, no extreme high or low flows are recorded as of this report.
Drought Map 7-day average streamflows
Lower Genesee River and Niagara River - Lake Erie watersheds remain at the below normal rating Saturday. An expectation of deeper drought has been turned away by the increase in streamflows in Niagara River - Lake Erie.
Hazardous Spills Report a spill 1-800-457-7362
Home heating fuel oil spills continue to plague the estimated 2 million homes are heating with #2 fuel oil and kerosene.
Reported in a single day this past week, March 11, two callers with large heating oil spills in residence, 160 gallons spilled in the Bronx and 190 gallons spilled in Chenango Forks. A caller to the NY DEC Emergency Spill hotline reported 200 gallons of kerosene spilled at a private residence in Ithaca last week March 7. The cause of the spills is noted as equipment failure.
Spills impacting water on this same day, March 11 include a spill of unknown amount of manure into Flint Creek at Phelps, and an unknown material spilled into Beaver Creek in the Niagara Lake Erie watershed near Dunkirk.
NY DEC Emergency spill hotline takes reports of hazardous materials spills from anyone with knowledge of a spill. Professional responders are dispatched to contain spills and remove hazardous materials. Note that a spill of one gallon of home heating oil inside a residence is considered a large spill requiring professional response and cleanup. Ventilate the building and clear the area if a spill of fuel oil #2 occurs inside your home, and call the emergency spill line.
Drinking Water Matters
No one is boiling their tap water to make it safe in New York today, a mark of the prosperity of water supply and water quality, of the prosperity of municipal infrastructure and the skill of the excavators in missing buried water lines as they dig in new cable for internet. How good to see no yellow tags on the map.
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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