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6/27/2024
WT Staff
 HAPPENING NOW
Thursday, June 27 2024
WT HAB Tracker: from NCCOS satellite monitoring of Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, Lake Pontchartrain
June 27, 2024 updated 1217 pm CDT
HAB Tracker satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
As the temperatures spike upward and water levels drop, stress increases in the nation's lakes and streams. WT follows the movement and growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs) as provided by the satellite monitoring program of the NCCOS for New York's Lake Champlain, Ohio's Lake Erie and Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding area. The interpretation of satellite images is made in clear conditions at wind speed less than 4 pm, where the appearance and extent of HABs is reliably assessed against a color scale for concentration. High concentration HABs are known to produce algal toxins of concern for raw drinking water sources and recreational water bodies.
New York
Lake Champlain satellite monitoring program was launched to the public in 2024. HABs appeared prolific along the shorelines, islands and open water at the end of April, a cloudy spring season has obscured a clear view of the water most days since. The June 26 image shows a widespread HAB in the northeast arm on the Canadian side of the border, assessed at the high concentration 400 thousand cells per 100 ml. The latest NYS HAB report is available here.
Louisiana: Southeast LA water bodies are captured in a wide angle pass, Lake Pontchartain to Black Bay revealed in daily uploads from NCCOS. High concentration HABs have been consistently recorded in Lake Boeuf, Wetland Watchers Park and Lake Palourde in 2024. The highest concentration HAB to develop to date is in the range of 2 million cells per 100 ml. HAB of this extreme high concentration has been known to produce levels of toxins greatly in excess of EPA public safety threshhold levels for recreation and raw drinking water. Drinking water sources are routinely monitored for microcystins, a toxin impacting the liver and kidneys. This is one of several toxins, an indicator toxin that produces health impacts in mammals and humans. The latest HAB report is available here.
Ohio: Lake Erie west basin is covered by the NCCOS monitoring program. A widespread HAB appeared in Sandusky Bay on June 11, since expanding to fill the inner and outer bay areas and accelerating in concentration to extreme levels not seen at this time of year, nor in this location in 2023. The full Ohio HAB report is available here.
Drinking Water Advisories
Chatham came under BWA Monday following a booster pump failure. The advisory applied to customers connecting on New Hope St. Clair Water customers residing on LA Highway 146 from Chatham Lake Road to McConnell Road in Chatham.
As many drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the reservoirs, requiring additional treatments to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to warmer temperatures in the reservoir and can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present. WT tracks streamflow trends with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in each of the state's watersheds. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the direction of flow and streamflows that may be impacting drinking water today.
USGS Provisional Data Statement
Data are provisional and subject to revision until they have been thoroughly reviewed and received final approval. Current condition data relayed by satellite or other telemetry are automatically screened to not display improbable values until they can be verified.
Provisional data may be inaccurate due to instrument malfunctions or physical changes at the measurement site. Subsequent review based on field inspections and measurements may result in significant revisions to the data.
Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Information concerning the accuracy and appropriate uses of these data or concerning other hydrologic data may be obtained from the USGS.
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