10/26/2024
WT Staff
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October 26, 2024 1022 am EDT
NWS: Elevated fire risk
Special Weather Statement issued by NYS New York 319 am Sat Oct 26
ELEVATED RISK OF WILDFIRE SPREAD ON TODAY...br
An increased risk of fire spread will continue today. Northwest winds gusting to 25 to 30 mph, low relative humidity of 30 to 40 percent, and dry fuels will support the spread of any fires that ignite.
Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including smoking materials such as cigarette butts. Refer to the New York State Department of Conservation web site for information on burn restrictions.
Impacting Orange-Putnam-Rockland-Northern Westchester-Southern Westchester-New York (Manhattan)-Bronx-Richmond (Staten Island)-Kings (Brooklyn)-Northwest Suffolk-Northeast Suffolk-
Southwest Suffolk-Southeast Suffolk-Northern Queens-
Northern Nassau-Southern Queens-Southern Nassau Counties
Drinking Water Facilities Compliance update from the EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online
Fifty thousand fewer New Yorkers are served by serious violator facilities, according to the latest Safe Drinking Water Act compliance reports from the EPA. The update released earlier this month is a compilation of monitoring and reporting as assessed by the EPA, for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. WTNY has obtained the new list of NYS licensed drinking water facilities with significant violations of the SDWA. Twenty four facilities have been added to the list in this latest report with forty-five facilities having resolved violations and removed from the list. Overall, the number of serious violator facilities in NYS is down in this latest reporting cycle, from 70 to 49. With that improvement, the total population depending on serious violator facilities has also declined, from more than 128 thousand to around 78 thousand. The new figure represents .4% of the population of NYS, as per the 2024 Census.
The number of licensed drinking water facilities in NYS is 8205, the same as last quarter, the compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act has not changed since the last quarterly report, 92.6% of facilities are fully compliant. 7.4%, 611 facilities have non-compliance issues and/or SDWA violations in the prior 12 quarters. Of these 611, 49 facilities have significant violations, including exceeding the maximum contaminant levels, violation of treatment techniques or groundwater rules.
See the latest EPA - SDWA Compliance Report for NYS, October 2024, here.
See prior quarter EPA - SDWA Compliance Report for NYS, July 2024, here.
A new report from the USGS published in the journal Science October 24 points to the potential number of New Yorkers served from groundwater sources that have detectable levels of "forever chemicals", per and poly-fluoro alkly compounds that have recently been added to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Facilities have until 2029 to implement the treatment process required to remove these contaminants from the public water supply. More to follow.
Streamflow Situation from the USGS network of streamflow gauges
Sunny with a high of 62 in the city today while NWS warns of elevated fire danger due to a low relative humidity, wind and dry conditions. Partly sunny with a slight chance of showers upstate, high 55. Much below seasonal normal streamflow conditions continue to plague all watersheds of NYS Saturday, contributing to the elevated fire danger for the southeast.
Raquette River channel through central St. Lawrence County remains in severe drought status, along with the Lake Champlain watershed, also severe drought. Black River and west St Lawrence River watersheds are rated below normal. Upper Hudson watershed remains below normal at south Washington and Saratoga Counties, Mohawk River watershed remains below normal through the Schoharie Creek channel west of the Catskills. In the south, Susquehanna River watershed is below normal, Delaware, Ramapo, Lower Hudson and parts of Long Island Sound watersheds continue to record below normal streamflow levels.
In the west, Lake Ontario minor tributaries watershed remains in moderate drought with adjacent Niagara River - Lake Erie and Allegheny River watershed in the south rated below normal.
As of this report, there are no flood events registering in the network, no extreme high (99th percentile) or extreme low (1st percentile) flows.
Safe Drinking Water Advisories
Fulton County: Johnstown has issued a BWA following a water main break on Thursday. The advisory is a necessary precaution for those connections that experienced a disruption of water service or a drop in water pressure. Customers connecting on County Highway 131A between house 282 and 288 as well as portions of Hulbert and LaGrange roads are advised to boil all water intended for consumption or oral hygiene for at least one minute to sanitize the water, until further notice. Johnstown Waterworks supplies 8154 residential customers from a surface water source in the Mohawk River watershed. A check of the compliance history online shows Johnstown with an impeccable record, no significant violations or non-compliance matters with the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to the EPA.
Take a look at the Johnstown Waterworks drinking water facility profile, here.
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