7/22/2024
Wt Staff
 HAPPENING NOW
Monday, July 22 2024
HAB Tracker: Lake Erie beach posted for algal toxin fives times above the limit
July 22, 2024 updated 859 pm EDT
Lake Erie recreational water testing has returned total microcystins levels five times above the EPA 2019 safe limit, the beach has been posted with an algal toxin warning over the weekend. Maumee Bay State Park in Lucas County has a sheltered bay area at the east end where the wind drives mats of cyanbacteria against Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, piling up a thick scum mat that can reach a very high concentration along shore. As observed last year, the scum mat that formed throughout the month of July produced toxin levels 85 times the safe limit for recreational water by August 4th. HABs in Maumee Bay State Park have not yet reached the extreme high concentration seen at this time last year, yet the toxins have already been found above the safe limit. Water samples collected July 11 have returned algal toxin levels 40 ug/L, the beach advisory signage was posted on Friday, July 19.
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 was captured July 21 at moderate wind speed 5.4 mph, partially cloud obscured, showing the expansive extent of the west basin HAB that originated in North Maumee Bay in June. Water samples collected from Maumee Bay State Park by Ohio Dept of Natural Resources and published by the Department of Health show algal toxin at 40ug/L, a level five times above the US EPA safe limit for recreational water guideline. The Algal Toxin advisory was posted on Friday, July 19. Interesting to note, the concentration of this HAB has not exceeded 500 thousand cells per 100 ml, nowhere near the 3 million cells per 100 ml that accumulated along this shoreline for weeks in July 2023, found 85 times over the safe level by August 4th. The latest HAB findings are being updated, more to follow. The last Ohio HAB report is available here.
New York
The latest upload of Lake Champlain was captured Sunday July 21. This image shows a considerable accleration of the concentration of Baie Missisquoi HABs hot spots over the previous image taken twenty-four hours prior. The hot spots have grown larger, now seen extending from the north shore in Canada into the center of the bay at concentration up to 4 million cells per 100 ml. Bear in mind that the Lake Erie toxin levels have been found above safe limits where the concentration has been no higher than 500 thousand cells per 100 ml. The toxin results for this HAB will be found with Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, more to follow.
From the NYS HABs reporting center, seventy-six HABs are confirmed active for interior freshwater lakes Monday morning, down from eighty-three HABs Sunday. Two new HAB reports were confirmed Sunday for Ellicott Creek, a number of reports made prior to July 8 have been archived. 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 was caught July 21 at surface wind speed 3.2 mph. This image is mostly cloud obscured with Lake Verret Lake Palourde and the Avoca area showing high concentration HABs. See the latest HAB report for Louisiana here.
California: The weekly HAB postings report from California Water Boards dated July 19 contain one HAB DANGER alert and three WARNING level postings on the list. The DANGER advisory is posted on San Antonio Lake in Monterey County. Water bodies with HAB WARNINGS include the south end of Pyramid Lake near the dam, Santee Lake #7 near the campground and a pond in Heritage Park, San Diego County. Both DANGER and WARNING signage carry the caption "Toxins from the algae in this water can harm humans and kill animals". Caution alerts have been issued for 23 locations, and algal mat awareness alerts for another six sites, visual observations are reported for three more sites. Danger and Warning postings are marked with bluegreen tags on the map, caution advisories are being updated on the report. For the latest report, click here.
Georgia: Jekyll Island's beaches have tested clear for bacteria in the latest update from Coastal Health Region. Two permanent advisories remain, even though these beaches have returned results below the threshhold in the last quarterly test, July 1. No new information has been found on the presence of HABs in Georgia. Georgia Environmental Protection Division takes reports on suspicious algal blooms, so far in 2024 there have been no such reports logged. The Georgia Healthy Beaches program of Coastal Public Health tests beaches for bacteria, posting permanent and temporary advisories to warn the public. 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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