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7/16/2024
WT Staff
 HAPPENING NOW
Tuesday, July 16 2024
Low flow in Colorado River basin
July 16, 2024 updated 159 pm PDT
Streamflow Situation from the network of monitors of USGS CA Water Science Center
The streamflow dashboard appears as reported yesterday, normal to much above seasonal normal statewide with isolated cases of high flows in Region 2 San Franscisco Bay, LA Central Coast and San Diego. Extreme low flows are found in the south, Imperial County on New River near Westmoreland in Region 7 Colorado River basin. As of this report, there are no active floodings or extreme high flows recorded in the reference network.
WT HAB Tracker from state sources and where available, the satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
California: Algal toxin alerts in the DANGER category have been posted around Discovery Bay, Clear Lake, Lake Temescal, San Antonio Lake and Forbes Creek according to the weekly update from California Water Boards Freshwater HABs monitoring program. WARNING signage bears the same caption, "Toxins from the algae in this water can harm humans and kill animals", followed by a string of safety measures. Where the HAB "WARNING" signs are posted, it is still permissable to consume fish fillets, as long as they have been cleaned with bottled water or tap water prior to cooking. For the latest HAB report, click here.
New York
A clear image of Lake Champlain was snapped by Copernicus-Sentinel III satellite yesterday showing the northeast Baie Missisquoi HAB taking up the water down Alburg Springs and the Alburg-Swanton Bridge at a high concentration 700 to 800 thousand cells per 100 ml. One hot spot is visible near the northeast shore in Canada.
From the NYS HABs reporting center, we are looking at ninety-two HABs confirmed in the interior freshwater lakes and streams of NY, down from ninety-four this time yesterday. Added to the list of water bodies impacted by HABs today we see Georgica Pond and Brooks Lake. HAB reports made prior to July 3 have been archived, clearing Conesus Lake, Putnam Lake and Whitney Point Lake from the list. See bluegreen tags on the WTNY.us map, the full list of water bodies impacted is found here.
Louisiana: The latest upload from the NCCOS was taken yesterday, July 15 at surface wind speed 7.9 mph. This image is partially cloud obscured, we have a partial view of southeast LA water bodies, including the Lake Pontchartrain HAB. Hot spots in this image are as yesterday, Wetland Watchers Park and the water between Bayou Shaffer and the Avoca Island cutoff south of Avoca, both of these waters have concentration 2 million cells per 100 ml. Lakewide HABs in Lake Verret and Lake Palourde are visible again today, 800 to 900 thousand cells per 100 ml. Southeast LA water bodies at are captured in a wide angle pass by the Copernicus-Sentinel III satellite, with Lake Pontchartrain to Avoca Cutoff to Black Bay in frame. Updates are in progress. The last HAB report for Louisiana is available here.
Ohio: Lake Erie west basin HABs latest image from NCCOS was captured Monday July 15 at a surface wind speed 18.5 mph. This image shows the shoreline edge of the Lake Erie bloom from Maumee Bay up the west shoreline to the Canadian border. The high wind speed is likely acting on the bloom mass to hide its full extent. This HAB is captured in a low wind speed clear image from Saturday July 13 extending more than fifteen nautical miles into the lake. In the new image, the open water area of the HAB is not visible. The Sandusky Bay bloom Aphanizomenon occupies a larger area, filling the bay west and east of OH-269 in a broken or dispersed pattern. The concentration of Sandusky Bay HAB is 700 to 800 thousand cells per 100 ml. Updates to the HAB report are in progress. The latest Ohio HAB report is available here.
Georgia: According to the USGS, Georgia is one of six states in the USA where no anecdotal reports have been made of HAB toxin-related poisonings. Scant information is available information on the presence of HABs, including a single account from Chattahoochee River Keeper of a suspected animal death related to HABS several years ago. Georgia Environmental Protection Division takes reports on suspicious algal blooms from the public and from the Shoreline Managers of the Power Lakes, the impoundment lakes created by the network of hydroelectric dams in Georgia. One HAB report was made to Georgia EPD in all of 2023. According to EPD spokesperson Sara Lips, there have been no HAB reports so far in 2024. 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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