|
12/8/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Rain Saturday for New Orleans
HABs spreading in Lake Pontchartrain
Friday, December 8, 2023 - last updated 1119 am CST
HABs Report from National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) satellite monitoring program
NCCOS image taken December 7 reveals a massive lakewide expansion of the HAB we reported here yesterday. The concentration ranges from 100 thousand cells per 100 ml in the west to 200 thousand cells per 100 ml in the center of the lake, with clouds obscuring view of the east water. Yesterday we had a clear view of HABs extending past Irish Bayou into the Rigolets and Lake Catherine, today obscured by cloud cover, could presume the HAB remains. 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 visible in today's image showing a lakewide HAB of high concentration 600 to 700 thousand filling Bayou Fortier and the west bay of Lac des Allemands. 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 another clear view of Lake Verret and Lake Palourde in the Dec 7 image. The HAB settled down into the south half of Lake Verret appears 700 thousand cells per 100 ml. The north half of the water body appears clear of HABs again today. Lake Palourde HAB is widespread and 900 thousand cells per 100 ml. The large localized HAB along the northwest shoreline has become widespread. A band of clear water separates the east side HAB from the west side HAB. Lake Salvador lakewide HAB at 600 to 700 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 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, 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
A new area of Region 1 shows on the drought map Friday, including Caddo and deSoto Parishes rated below normal.
Region 3 Tensas River channel east to the Mississippi River retains the only area with an extreme drought rating in Louisiana Friday. Tensas River is flowing low, 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 heading into the weekend. 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.
|
|
|
All rights reserved 2022 - WTLA - This material may not be reproduced in whole or in part and may not be distributed,
publicly performed, proxy cached or otherwise used, except with express permission.
|
| 
| ABOUT 
