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12/7/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Unified Command update on Gulf spill
HABs visible in Dec 6 capture
Thursday, December 7, 2023 - last updated 1049 am CST
HABs Report from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program - updates in progress - more to follow here
NCCOS image captured December 6 offers a clear image of Lake Pontchartrain with extensive HAB activity in the north half, extending past Irish Bayou into the Rigolets and Lake Catherine. The HAB visible in this latest satellite photo appears between 50 thousand and 100 thousand cells per 100 ml, a moderate concentration. A previous clear image captured on Wednesday, November 29 showed widespread HAB in Lake Pontchartrain at 200 thousand cells per 100 ml.
Lac des Allemands and Bayou Fortier are completely cloud obscured in the latest image. From a previous image last week, there was lakewide HAB activity presenting at the high concentration of 800 to 900 thousand cells per 100 ml with widespread HAB all the way down Baie Des Deux Chenes and Bayou des Allemands into Lake Salvador matching the color scale for a high concentration, 600 to 700 thousand cells per 100 ml.
Today we have a clear view of Lake Verret and Lake Palourde. HABs in Lake Verret have settled down in the south half of the water body at 800 top 900 thousand cells per 100 ml. The north half of the water body appears low or clear of HABs. Lake Palourde HAB is widespread on the east half of the water body at a slightly higher concentration than Verret, 900 thousand cells per 100 ml. A large localized HAB of similar concentration appears along the northwest shoreline. Lake Salvador has widespread HAB visible between clouds at 500 to 600 thousand cells per 100 ml.
Bluegreen location tags on our map give the interpretation of the last clear image available.
Hazardous Spills emergency and non-emergency incidents reported to Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Crude oil spill in the Gulf
Unified Command has released an update on the 1.1 million gallons of crude oil discharged into the Gulf of Mexico on or around November 17. The source of the leak has not been located, the pipeline remains shut down.
December 5, 2023 NEW ORLEANS — The Unified Command continues to monitor and respond to an oil discharge near the Main Pass Oil Gathering (MPOG) company's pipeline system, known as the MPOG 11015 incident, near Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans.
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.
"Daily overflights conducted since Friday have observed a light unrecoverable sheen near the western portion of the response area. The reported sheen is being investigated and has not been confirmed to be associated with the November 16 observed initial discharge."
"The Unified Command continues to coordinate with federal, state and local agencies to ensure the safety of the public, protection of the environment and response to the incident. The Coast Guard continues to oversee coordinated efforts to mitigate impacts from the spill. The main pipeline and several surrounding lines remain shut in and have not been put back into service."
A claims phone line has been established at 228-273-2400. To report oiled wildlife in the area, call the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at 337-735-8677.
Boil Water Advisories:
Turkey Creek residents in Evangeline Parish remain under BWA Thursday following a main break Tuesday. The BWA applies to customers with connections on the St. Landry Highway from Mountain Bayou Road to the Evangeline Parish line and all intersecting streets.
The Town of Sunset in St Landry Parish BWA is still in effect for all residents after an 8-inch water line broke this week.
DeRidder, St Martinville, Ben Thomas Water System, Lake Arthur BWAs remain in effect.
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.
Drought Situation from USGS 7-day average streamflows
Measured drought conditions hold as seen Tuesday.
Region 3 Tensas River channel east to the Mississippi River retains the only area with an extreme drought rating in Louisiana Thursday. Tensas River is still recording a low-rated current streamflow, see the map for details. Region 1's Saline Bayou Channel remains at severe drought status. The drought rating for the Tangipahoa River channel in Region 7 remains below normal Thursday, as we saw Wednesday. Regions 4 and 5 are rated below normal this morning with the exception of the Calcasieu River channel hanging on to moderate drought rating and Evangeline and Acadia remaining the drought-proof Parishes we have seen all season.
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.
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.
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