7/2/2024
WT Staff
 HAPPENING NOW
Tuesday, July 2 2024
July 2, 2024 updated 710 pm EDT
Streamflow Situation from the network of USGS river flow monitors in NYS
The state of New York appears well hydrated Tuesday, seasonal normal to above normal flow levels through the west, normal levels in the south and central basins and much above normal flows in the northeast. A portion of one watershed area is rated on the drought map Tuesday, the Lake Ontario minor tributaries west section from Niagara County to central Monroe still rated moderate drought, the remaining area of Lake Ontario watershed is clear of the drought map, indeed the other 16 watersheds of NYS are clear of the drought map today. There are no extreme flows high or low, nor any stations recording active flooding.
HAB Tracker satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
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.
New York
Lake Champlain's widespread HAB in the northeast appears as a narrow band Tuesday, extending into the open water from the northwest corner of the northeast arm of Lake Champlain. Baie Missisquoi HAB may be partially submerged, we have no wind speed to assure the reliability of the HAB extent. The appearance of the narrow band is of high concentration, matching the color scale for 900 thousand to 1.5 million cells per 100 ml. This HAB initially appeared June 25 near the northwest shore of the northeast arm near Domaine Omer-Alix on the Canadian side of the border at a relatively high concentration, around 400 thousand cells per 100 ml. More HAB reports for Lake Champlain have been confirmed in the bays of Pointe au Roche, Clinton County, NY. Forty-five HABs are confirmed for interior NYS water bodies on Tuesday morning with no additions or archived reports overnight. Get the latest NYS HAB report here.
Louisiana: Southeast LA water bodies are captured in a wide angle pass by the Copernicus-Sentinel III satellite, catching Lake Pontchartrain to Black Bay in frame. The latest image was captured July 1 at a surface wind speed 6.1 mph. This latest image is clear with a good view of most southeast water bodies. Lake Pontchartrain appears clear of HAB activity. Lac des Allemands and Bayou Fortier lakewide HABs appear considerably lower concentration than yesterday. The entire HAB has taken on a match to the concentration color scale for 200 to 300 thousand cells per 100 ml rather than the 700 to 800 thousand cells we have been observing so far this season. Updates are in progress, the latest HAB report for Louisiana is available here.
Ohio: Lake Erie west basin is captured by the NCCOS monitoring satellite, the latest upload taken July 1 at surface wind speed 6.9 mph. The image is clear showing extensive HAB activity in North Maumee Bay and up the Michigan shoreline, a new open water HAB floating 2 nm off shore of Maumee Bay State Park at a concentration around 300 to 400 thousand cells per 100 ml. Sandy appears to have shrunk slightly in Sandusky Bay, maintaining the extreme high concentration over one million cells per 100 ml. The open water HAB mass spotted in recent days outside Sandusky Bay has shifted position, not surprising given 25 mph wind speed recorded June 30. The bloom mass has moved off Cedar Point into Lake Erie forming a band across the opening of Sandusky Bay about 2 nm out with a concentration of 100 thousand cells per 100 ml. The Sandusky Bay HAB first appeared in the inner bay area near Bay View and OH-269 on June 11, since expanding to fill both inner and outer bay areas and reaching extremes of concentration 3 million cells per 100 ml not seen in this location in the 2023 season. Updates are in progress, the latest Ohio HAB report is available 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.
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.
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