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8/26/2024
WT Staff
 August 26, 2024 830 am CDT
Extreme drought in Region 7 watershed
Streamflow Situation from the network of USGS streamflow gauges in the USA
Down to five monitoring stations recording above flood stage in the USA Monday morning, none of these located in California. Interior streamflows run seasonal normal with coastal flows recorded much above normal from the north coast down to San Diego. Region 7 Colorado River watershed has been running below normal streamflows, currently rated on the drought map with moderate drought centered around New River and below normal ratings applied to much of San Bernardino County.
WT HAB Tracker from the satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science(NCCOS) and State sources where available
Toxins are produced within the cells of certain strains of cyanobacteria, released in the water when cells rupture or die. The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) combines the efforts of NOAA, NASA, USGS to detect algal blooms, guiding local and State agencies to carefully monitor the water quality and make decisions about health impacts. The US EPA studied a number of cyanotoxins over a five year period in Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring - Cycle 4, the results published in 2021. Cyanotoxins were not adopted into the US Safe Drinking Water Act regulation, rather Health Advisories were released to guide the States in their drinking water/recreational water public health management.
California has taken the US EPA Health Advisory for cyanotoxins a step beyond the US EPA Health Advisories. A California assessment of six cyanotoxins from 2012 calculated the total loading of the toxin in an individual from the combined sources including breathing aerosols, absorption through the skin and unintentional ingestion during swimming and water sports. Given the total body loading model, the safe limit for toxin in the water was determined an order of magnitude lower than the US EPA guidance.
WT follows the current trends with water and all matters potentially impacting drinking water sources, reporting on the appearance and concentration of HABs as we find them across North America.
California
The latest weekly update of Freshwater Harmful Algal Bloom was out Friday August 23. It contains one Danger-level warning, this being for Lindo Lake County Park east and west basins in San Diego watershed Region 9. Warning advisories are out for Wiest Lake southeast corner, Region 6 Crowley Lake Marina, also in Region 9 San Diego watershed, Guajome Regional Park, Guajome Lake. Caution advisories have been issued for Red Lake, Salton Sea, Pyramid Lake and others, updates in progress, more to follow.
Louisiana: The latest image is dated Aug 25, taken at high wind speed over 15 mph. This image is partially cloud obscured, a glimpse of Bayou Fortier reveals an area of extreme high concentration 3 million cells per 100 ml, Lac des Allemands HAB appears lower concentration, 700 to 800 thousand cells. Lake Fields is cloud obscured in this image. Lake Verret is cloud obscured, Lake Palourde and the water to the south show 900 thousand to 1 million cells per 100 ml lakewide blooms.
New York
From the NYS DEC notifications center, 132 HABs are confirmed in New York State Monday morning, down from 142 active cases on the weekend. Delta Lake and Indian Falls Lake have first HABs of 2024 with Bradley Brook Reservoir back on the impacted water list.
The latest clear image of Lake Champlain HAB was captured Aug 24 at unknown wind speed, showing Baie Missisquoi HAB covering a reduced area in the bay centered along the east shore at 1 million cells per 100 ml. A small localized HAB along the north shore on the Canadian side of the border meets 2 million cells per 100 ml. A new image has been added from Sunday August 25, cloud obscured with no view of the water.
Lake Erie west basin
The latest satellite image of Lake Erie West basin was captured August 25 at wind speed 5 mph. The hot spot in Lake Erie HAB here is north of Toledo in Maumee Bay, 3 to 4 million cells. The extent of this bloom is much reduced from our previous view, running approximately 15 nm from Maumee River outlet north along the Michigan shoreline, and approximately 10 to 12 nm to the east, the east side of the HAB in line with Magee Marsh Wilderness Area. A narrow band of HAB runs along the Ohio shore past Camp Perry to Port Clinton, the HAB east side of Catawba Island is localized, Sandusky Bay retains the lakewide HAB of reduced concentration, 500 to 600 thousand cells per 100 ml. See the latest NCCOS satellite image of Lake Erie west basin here.
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