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7/19/2024

WT Staff

HAPPENING NOW
Friday, July 19 2024
NWS: Excessive Heat Warning heat index to 113


July 19, 2024 942 am PDT

Urgent Weather Message issued by NWS Hanford CA 548 am PDT July 19
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM MONDAY TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY...Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures up to 113 expected in portion of central California. Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events.

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.

Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

WT HAB Tracker from state sources and where available, the satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
California: A media announcement from the Lahontan Water Board and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection shows toxin levels for South Lake Tahoe Eldorado and Nevada Beaches at "non-detect", based on water samples collected July 8 and 10th. On the Nevada side of the border, a shallow pond in the vicinity of Nevada Beach, not connected with South Lake Tahoe tested positive for the HAB neurotoxin "saxitoxin". The pond is partially fenced off, a recommendation has been made for local authorities to complete the fencing to prevent access by people with their pets. The latest weekly report from California Water Boards has Danger and Warning HAB alerts posted for multiple sites in Discovery Bay and Clear Lake, for Lake Temescal, San Antonio Lake and Forbes Creek. Beach signage for HAB DANGER or HAB WARNING feature the caption "Toxins from the algae in this water can harm humans and kill animals", followed by a string of safety measures. For the latest report, click here.

New York
The latest upload of Lake Champlain was snapped by Copernicus-Sentinel III satellite July 18, this image shows Baie Missisquoi HAB creeping down the northeast arm as far as Big Bluff and Clark Point, filling the open water of the arm well past Alburg Center. The HAB mass at the south end matches the concentration scale for 700 thousand cells per 100 ml. Inside Baie Missisquoi, the widespread HAB continues to fill the bay with two hot spots in the center now appearing conjoined, 1 million to 1.5 million cells per 100 ml.

From the NYS HABs reporting center, ninety-two HABs are confirmed in the interior freshwater lakes Friday morning, down from ninety-five yesterday at this time. A new HAB report has been confirmed for Putnam Lake, bringing the Putnam County water body back to the active HAB list. This is the second HAB of the season, Putnam Lake was cleared from the impacted water bodies list, back on as of the confirmation of this July 17th report. 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 17 at surface wind speed 3.8 mph. This image is mostly cloud obscured showing a new widespread HAB developing in Chandeleur Sound. An open water HAB is visible in Lake Pontchartrain 5 nm from the north shore near Mandeville at a moderate concentration. Most other water bodies are cloud obscured in this latest upload. The previous clear image captured July 15 also reveals HABs in Lake Pontchartrain off the shore of Manchac Wildlife Management Area west shore. Hot spots visible in the last clear image are Wetland Watchers Park and the water between Bayou Shaffer and the Avoca Island cutoff, concentration matches the color scale for 2 million 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 and Chandeleur Sound in frame. The last HAB report for Louisiana is available here.

Ohio: Lake Erie west basin HABs latest image from NCCOS was captured July 18 at a surface wind speed 9.5 mph. This image is clear, the large HAB mass in Lake Erie appears to be breaking up, the extent seen in this image encompasses West Sister Island, the concentration appears lower, the majority looks to be moderate 200 thousand cells per 100 ml with a hot spot persisting in North Maumee Bay over 1 million cells per 100 ml. Inner Maumee Bay continues to appears clear of HABs, the Maumee Bay HAB mass shifted toward open water several days ago. Sandusky Bay bloom has pushed in further toward the main shore Pickerel Creek outlet at high 900 thousand to 1 million cells per 100 ml. Updates to the map tags and report are in progress. The last Ohio HAB report is available here.

Georgia: Jekyll Island's South Dunes Beach has been posted for elevated bacteria levels. Samples taken on July 15 have returned elevated enterrococcus levels, 100 colony forming units per 100 ml. The advisory is temporary, Coastal Health Region will update the results as follow up testing is performed. Scant information is available information on the presence of HABs in Georgia. USGS HAB research indicates GA is one of six states with no known anecdotal reports of HAB poisonings. Georgia Environmental Protection Division takes reports on suspicious algal blooms from the public and from the Shoreline Managers of the Power Lakes. One HAB report was made to Georgia EPD in all of 2023. 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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