7/23/2024
WT Staff
 HAPPENING NOW
Tuesday, July 23 2024
Weather spotters called to action
July 23, 2024 updated 733 pm EDT
Hazardous Weather Outlook issued 306 am July 23 by NWS Binghamton
There is a Marginal Risk for isolated severe thunderstorms with
hail and damaging winds tomorrow, Wednesday afternoon and evening. Be sure to
monitor the latest local forecasts and convective outlooks from the
Storm Prediction Center.
Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. Please relay any information about severe weather to the NWS.
Impacting Northern Oneida-Yates-Seneca-Southern Cayuga-Onondaga-Steuben-Schuyler-Chemung-Tompkins-Madison-Southern Oneida-Cortland-Chenango-
Otsego-Tioga-Broome Counties.
WT HAB Tracker from state sources and where available, the satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
New York
The latest upload of Lake Champlain was captured July 22, wind speed unknown. The northeast Baie Missisquoi HAB has quieted down since Sunday's report, the hot spot presenting at half the concentration observed on the weekend. 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. Inquiries have gone out to the environmental health departments conducting the water testing for Baie Missisquoi, more to follow.
The toxin results for this HAB will be found with Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, more to follow.
From the NYS HABs reporting center, just fifty-four active HAB reports remain on the board Tuesday morning, down from seventy-six confirmed cases this time yesterday. A couple dozen reports have been archived overnight. See bluegreen tags on the map to the right, the full list of water bodies impacted is found here.
Ohio: The latest image of Lake Erie west basin was captured July 21 at moderate wind speed 5.4 mph. The image is partially cloud obscured, showing the expansive extent of the west basin HAB. Sandusky City water has the last microcystins test posted below MRL (minimum reporting level) for the period ending July 6, 2024. Ohio EPA spokesperson Dina Pierce informs us via email, "Sandusky has two water intakes. The primary intake is about 1.5 miles northeast of Sandusky Bay, so the city can avoid the current bloom. The city also has instruments that monitor real-time water quality at the main intake. This allows them to make changes in their treatment if they see indication of a developing or increasing HAB." Ohio EPA had more to say on how the drinking water facilities monitor surface water sources for HAB toxins. See the Ohio HAB report, available here.
Louisiana: The latest upload from the NCCOS was caught July 22 at surface wind speed 2 mph. This image is mostly cloud obscured with Lac des Allemands and Bayou Fortier HABs visible at moderate concentration. See the latest HAB report for Louisiana here.
California: The latest HAB report from California Water Boards contains one HAB DANGER alert and three HAB WARNING postings on the list. The DANGER advisory applies to San Antonio Lake in Monterey County; the 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. DANGER and WARNING advisory signage carry the caption "Toxins from the algae in this water can harm humans and kill animals".
Caution alerts have been updated on the HAB Tracker report, the DANGER and WARNING advisories are marked with bluegreen tags on the map. 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 nil results for enterrococcus bacteria in the last quarterly test, July 1. The Georgia Healthy Beaches program of Coastal Public Health tests beaches for bacteria, posting permanent and temporary advisories to warn the public. 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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