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12/22/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
7 USGS gauges reporting low flows Friday
2 million gallons released during WWTP malfunction
Up to the minute water news for Friday, December 22, 2023 - last updated 4 pm CST
Hazardous Spills emergency and non-emergency incidents reported to Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Earlier in the week we reported a wastewater spill in Baton Rouge. Following up on this spill for more information, we found a heavy rain event on December 1 knocked caused equipment malfuction at the WWTP in East Baton Rouge Parish. The December incident on Gardere Lane in Baton Rouge released over two million gallons of wastewater into the facility grounds. A cocktail of disinfectant chemicals and a vac truck was involved in the cleanup. According to LDEQ investigation notes, the facility is under a consent decree dating back to March 2022 to effect a sanitary sewer overflow response plan. The overflow response plan will be reviewed during the next inspection, no further investigation is being done into the incident.
Drought Map from USGS 7-day average streamflows compared to historic averages
Extreme drought has backed off from the central Morehouse Parish Friday, leaving the area between Tensas River and the Mississippi River from the north state line down to Concordia Parish at the extreme hydrologic drought rating.
The Tensas River channel itself is rated moderate drought, escalating to severe from Tensas to Bayou Lafourche, from the north state line down to Catahoula Parish. A band of moderate drought area occupies south Caddo, east deSoto and west Natchitoches Parishes. Severe drought occupies watershed Regions 4 and 5 with the exception of Evangeline and Acadia Parishes, below normal. The remaining area of west Louisiana is rated below normal, west Bossier is the normal exception.
On the east side, watershed regions 6 and 8 are excluded from the drought map. Tangipahoa Parish in Region 7 is severe drought and all other area of Region 7 is below normal.
Extreme low flows dropped from ten to seven overnight. Little River at Rochelle in Region 2 has picked up, no longer recording an extreme low however still rated much below normal. Bayou Pierre at Lake End in Region 1, Bayou Anococo and Sabine River at Bon Wier station in Region 4 have shifted off the extreme low rating today. Bayou Teche at Keystone Lock and Dam is back on the list with an extreme low flow in Region 5, joining Chemin-au-haut Bayou, Bayou Bartholomew and Tensas River in Region 3, Sabine River at Ruliff TX, Bayou Toro in Region 4 and Tangipahoa River at Robert in Region 7. See brown tags on the map for details.
Note WaterToday reports day-to-day changes recorded by USGS streamflow monitors on rivers and tributaries located in Louisiana, along with monitors upstream in the Mississippi River basin: Ohio, Georgia and southwest New York state. USGS creates a drought map from 7-day average streamflow readings, by comparing the average with the historic weekly normal flow value for each location. The drought ratings are below normal, moderate hydrologic drought, severe drought and extreme drought.
HABs Report from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
The latest clear image for interpretation on the HAB concentration scale comes from December 19, taken at high wind speed, 16.4 mph. Images from December 20 and 21 are cloud obscured with not much help observing and understanding the HAB activity in Louisiana. Sticking with the latest clear image, we recognize Lake Pontchartain is hosting a widespread HAB taking up the east water. Other water bodies are assessed as we saw them on December 19, see the bluegreen tags on the map for details.
Crude oil spill in the Gulf
An emailed statement from US Coast Guard Wed Dec 20, "There are no updates for the source of the November 16 spill, and the cause and source are still under investigation. The main pipeline and several surrounding lines remain shut in and have not been put back into service."
The last update from Unified Command was offered ten days ago, on December 5, 2023. As of that time, the entire length of the Main Pass Oil Gathering (MPOG) company's pipeline system has been examined and the source of the leak had not been found. Quoting from the Unified Command press statement of Dec 5, The cause and source of the incident remain under investigation. The entire length of the main pipeline has been assessed to date, along with 22.16 miles of surrounding pipelines with no damage or indications of a leak identified. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and divers continue to reassess the main pipeline and surrounding pipelines as a sustained effort to locate the source of the suspected release.
Dial 228-273-2400 for claims associated with this incident. To report oiled wildlife in the area, call the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at 337-735-8677. See the CWA Crimebox for a historic case brief related to a spill of 500 barrels of crude oil spilled in the Gulf in 2012. More to follow.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA role in supporting Unified Command
From the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration:
"In response to the crude oil release, known as the MPOG 11015 incident, a Unified Command was established by the USCG, the responding party MPOG, and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, in coordination with NOAA, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Forefront Emergency Management and other federal, state and local agencies to develop and execute a response strategy. For decades, the USCG and NOAA have played a joint role in ensuring vital operational support and response capabilities for oil and chemical spills. After the reports were received, OR&R began deploying to provide response support on-scene to the incident management team, the Federal On-scene Coordinator (U.S. Coast Guard), and Unified Command based in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.
Note about hazardous spill incident reporting, from LDEQ: Information contained in the Field Interview form is the preliminary observation of the inspector. This should not be construed as a final determination of LDEQ, its officers or personnel as to any matter, including compliance or non-compliance with statutes, regulations and permits.
Each day of non-compliance is considered a separate violation of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act.
See the pink tags on the map with the watershed layer turned on, showing the potential impact zone of hazardous spills in the environment. Refer to the Spills button on the right of the map for more incident reports filed this year.
Boil Water Advisories:
Elton BWA applies to customers on First Street, Second Street, Mayor Marcantel Street and Main Street, including Elton High School, until further notice.
Leesville BWA and Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Waterworks District 1 BWA remain in effect until further notice.
Refer to yellow tags on the map for more BWAs in effect in the state of Louisiana. Also see the latest EPA Safe Drinking Water Act list of Serious Violators under the SDWA button to the right of the map.
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