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12/27/2023
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Morehouse Parish extreme drought
Lake Verret HAB
Up to the minute water news for Wednesday, December 27, 2023 - last updated 213 pm CST
Streamflow Situation
Seasonal normal streamflow values are popping up through all parts of Louisiana Wednesday, a sign of relief coming. The same three stations reporting low flows yesterday remain rated low today, all three in Region 3, two of these being in Morehouse Parish.
Normal flows dominate in the area north of Lake Pontchartrain today, where we also see the greatest shift in the drought map, see below.
Drought Map from USGS 7-day average streamflows compared to historic averages
Wednesday brings a big change to the drought map as the 7-day average streamflows in watershed Region 7 begin to match the historic seasonal normal values. For the first time in many weeks, the majority of watershed Region 7 is spared of a drought rating. The exceptions in Region 7 are the Tangipahoa River channel through Tangipahoa Parish, which remains rated severe drought. The east edge of Washington and St Tammany Parish in the path of the Pearl River is rated moderate drought Wednesday.
Another change to the drought map is the incursion of another area of extreme drought in watershed Region 3. As of this update, the north central Morehouse Parish from Beekman east has sprung upward to extreme drought. Severe drought rating applies to east Morehouse Parish with the channel of the Tensas River improving from moderate drought to below normal rating. The area east of the Tensas River channel to the Mississippi is still rated extreme drought, as it has been for weeks.
Watershed Region 1 in the northwest has lost its severe drought rated area overnight, today appearing mostly below normal, sparing only the west half of Bossier Parish. An area of moderate drought clings to Bayou Pierre channel. Watershed Region 2 is similarly rated, mostly below normal with a stubborn area of moderate drought in Grant and LaSalle Parishes. Watersheds Region 4 and 5 show little movement today, rated severe drought with the area of Evangeline and Acadia Parish enjoying a relative reprieve at moderate drought. Regions 6 and 8 remain the unclaimed territory on the drought map again today.
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
NCCOS has not provided a new image today, the latest image is dated December 23, interpreted here yesterday. This picture is largely cloud obscured, similar to images captured December 20 and 21. Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas appear clear of HAB activity. Lake Verret is clearly seen in this image with a large localized HAB off the west shore at 400 to 500 thousand cells per 100 ml. Lake Palourde appears HAB-free. Lac des Allemands, Bayou Fortier, Lake Cataouache and Lake Salvador are cloud obscured, previous images are similarly cloud obscured. Check back daily for our interpretation of the latest satellite image of the southeast water bodies.
Hazardous Spills emergency and non-emergency incidents reported to Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Search is underway for new spill reports, emergency and non-emergency incidents impacting surface water in Louisiana.
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.
Crude oil spill in the Gulf MPOG 11015 incident
The latest update on Main Pass Oil Gathering 11015 incident came to WTLA.us in an emailed statement on Dec 20, 2023 from the Unified Command under US Coast Guard management. From that email update, "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." Check back here for updates as we receive them.
The last press release from Unified Command came out 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:
Leesville BWA remains 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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