Toxic Algae

 

Mississippi Algae

 

AP | The Cost Of Algae? Mississippi Beach Closings Could Have Big Financial Fallout, Officials Say. According to The Times-Picayune, “Toxic bacteria are keeping swimmers out of the water on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and it will be weeks before financial information shows whether beach closures are hurting the local economy. The communications director for the tourism agency Coastal Mississippi, Erin Rosetti, says she’s seeing fewer people hanging out on the sand. ‘We do see people on the beach. However, we don’t see them en masse as we are used to during this month,’ Rosetti told The Associated Press on Monday. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is warning that people and pets should stay out of saltwater near the mainland beaches. The agency started closing some beaches June 22 and on Sunday closed the last two sections near the Alabama line. While the water is off limits, people can still be on the sand. Polluted Midwest floodwaters have fed an outbreak of cyanobacterium. Commonly known as blue-green algae, it can cause rashes, diarrhea and vomiting. It is spreading eastward as water from the Mississippi River pours into the Gulf of Mexico. Rosetti said beach closures are a ‘hindrance,’ but keeping people safe is the priority.” [The Times-Picayune, 7/8/19 (=)]

 

Toxic Algae Affecting Miss. Beaches Is Eating Into Local Businesses. According to Yahoo, “Still, business owners along the coast are worried. Tourism there accounted for more than $2 billion in 2018 and more than 28,000 jobs. James Barney Foster’s jet ski business in Biloxi thrives or dies by the water. Last year was good so he invested in 28 new jet skis. ‘They came here on July 3 at 6 p.m and shut us down or we’d get arrested,’ Foster said. But the warnings came before the Fourth of July weekend, so some vacationers have stayed away. He will now have to sell some jet skis to stay afloat. Officials are also cautioning against eating seafood from the affected areas, at least for now. The spillway sending all that water could be shut off next week, but there’s no telling how long the algae will linger.” [Yahoo, 7/9/19 (=)]

 

Algae Water Advisories Lead To Layoffs By Beach Vendor. According to WLOX-TV, “The trickle-down theory of economics just hit the beach as one vendor said he had to lay off two of his employees Tuesday. The layoffs were caused by the water advisories issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) after a freshwater algae bloom hit the Coast. Those advisories have killed business at Life’s a Beach Jet Ski Rental near the lighthouse in Biloxi. The algae bloom has been caused by a flow of Mississippi River fresh water by way of the Bonnet Carre’ spillway in Louisiana into the Mississippi Sound. For the two University of Southern Mississippi students, it is a hard economic lesson. ‘This is pretty much my only income for the summer to put toward school and books and any kind of disposable money,’ said Logan Hatten of Biloxi. ‘I kind of had my whole summer planned around this job.’ Joseph Bardwell of Biloxi was worried about his prospects for the rest of the summer. ‘ It is pretty hard because most employers hire at the start of the summer or towards the end of the school year,’ he said. ‘So, now that I’m kind of in the middle, I’m in a rut.’” [WLOX-TV, 7/10/19 (+)]

 

Gulf Coast States See Similarities To Southwest Florida Blue-Green Algae. According to WINK-TV, “The same type of algae that plagued our waterways, causing a water crisis last year is now devastating the

Mississippi Gulf Coast. Tampa Bay Area is also having problems. Mike Parsons, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University who also serves on the Florida Blue-Green Algae Task Force, said the microcystins found in Mississippi is the same as what we saw in Southwest Florida last summer. Mississippi coastal waters have a Cyanobacteria bloom that may be from the Mississippi River. In response to the algae, all of the beaches on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have been shut down. The Tampa Bay Area is having a bloom of its own. ‘The similarities I think between what we saw and what Mississippi is experiencing are high levels of nutrients,’ Parsons said. ‘Tampa is experiencing a different kind of blue-green algae bloom. It’s what we commonly call ‘lyngbya.’ Parsons said Lyngbya, which is found on the bottom of bodies of water, has direct sunlight likely fueling it. He said there were blooms of it washing up on the backside of Captiva Island in April and May.” [WINK-TV, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Marine Scientists Agree Caution Is The Best Approach To Algae Bloom. According to WLOX-TV, “When the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources started seeing evidence of the blue-green algae, marine scientist Kristina Broussard said she knew it was going to be an ‘unprecedented bloom’. ‘When we saw it the first day, it was over two miles long. That’s why the alarm went off,’ Broussard said. That was on June 12 near Cat Island. The bloom later moved on shore, and it has hung along the beaches ever since. The bloom has spread the length of the entire Gulf Coast, shutting down the waters along South Mississippi beaches and creating grave concern in an economy that depends on tourism. On June 17, Broussard’s team sent a water sample to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lab in Charleston, S.C., and it confirmed what Broussard already knew. There was a ‘presence of toxins’ that the algae puts off. Those toxins can cause a rash on human skin and can cause stomach ailments if water containing the toxins are consumed. Broussard said the toxin wasn’t at a ‘level of concern’ at that point, but it was enough for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to begin issuing water quality advisories. Those advisories told people not to swim in the water or eat fish caught in the water.” [WLOX-TV, 7/9/19 (=)]

 

Alabama Algae

 

Will Storm Keep The Toxic Algae Bloom Away From Alabama's Beaches? According to Montgomery Advisor, “Alabama officials are casting nervous glances toward the Mississippi Gulf Coast after a toxic algae bloom has forced the closure of all of the Magnolia State’s beaches. The bloom was spreading east over the past two weeks or so. But the wild card in its progression is the developing tropical system in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Water along the Alabama Gulf Coast is tested weekly from May through September by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Alabama Department of Public Health and local agencies. Results coming in Tuesday show no bacteria from the bloom has made it to the coastal areas of Alabama, said Amanda Ingram, an epidemiologist with the Infectious Diseases and Outbreak section of the state health department. ‘This alga bloom in Mississippi is a freshwater bloom and this type of bloom can pop up anytime during the summer,’ she said. ‘This week’s test results show no bacteria from the alga bloom are in Alabama waters.’ Toxic bacteria are keeping swimmers out of the water on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and it will be weeks before financial information shows whether beach closures are hurting the local economy. The communications director for the tourism agency Coastal Mississippi, Erin Rosetti, says she’s seeing fewer people hanging out on the sand.” [Montgomery Advisor, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

No Toxic Algae Along Alabama Coast, Monitoring Underway; Mississippi Beaches Remain Closed. According to AL.com, “The toxic algae that has shut down Mississippi’s beaches has not made its way to Alabama, water testing confirmed Tuesday. Amanda Ingram, Senior Epidemiologist at the Alabama Department of Public Health, said samples of water taken along the Alabama coast this week showed no ‘levels of concern’ for harmful algae blooms, or HABs. ‘HABs can pop up at any time, however,’ she said, adding to the ADPH and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management continues to closely monitor samples taken from the coast. Ingram said there’s also no way of knowing the impact the looming tropical system in the Gulf could have on the spread of the algae. Water at all 21 of Mississippi’s beaches is closed until further notice due to the presence of the potentially harmful blue-green algae. The sand portions of all beaches remain open but people are advised to stay out of the water and not eat fish or seafood from the affected areas. A water contact advisory has also been issued for part of the Jourdan River in Hancock County from the Interstate 10 bridge to the mouth of the river at St. Louis Bay. The Mississippi algae bloom was caused in part by the opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway in Louisiana, which dumped excessive freshwater into the Gulf. For the first time in its 90-year history, the spillway has been opened twice in one year because of flooding along the Mississippi River.” [AL.com, 7/8/19 (=)]

 

Florida Algae

 

Looking At The Algae Crisis One Year Later. According to WINK-TV, “Tuesday marked one year since former Governor Rick Scott declared emergency on this blue-green algae water crisis. This year shows much improvement in the water quality in Southwest Florida, but people who live on the water fear there isn’t much stopping it from coming back if the waters rise again. ‘Every day I’m down here by the water and looking at the water,’ said Peter Formica, who checks daily on the water conditions near his home. WINK New spoke to him last year at the height of the water crisis, when he was scooping thick blue-green algae out of the Cape Coral canal he lives on. Residents feel we are in a much better place this year, despite the waters in the gulf being at a warm temperature. This leads one resident to think Lake Okechobee releases were at total fault. ‘I mean the temperature of the gulf is warm so it might have something to do with the management of discharges from Lake Okeechobee,’ Joanne Kreise said. Algae expert and FGCU Director, Dr. Bill Mitsch says the loss of red tide and recent storms could also be helping the algae problem. ‘If they’re doing intelligent things at Lake Okeechobee and minimizing the discharges that may be paying off,’ Mitsch said.” [WINK-TV, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

World’s Largest Sargassum Bloom, Why It’s Probably Here To Stay. According to Palm Beach Post, “Florida researchers have discovered the world’s largest sargassum forest in the Atlantic Ocean, a sweeping bloom of macroalgae gorging on natural and manmade nutrients that has waged a suffocating assault on Sunshine State beaches the past two years. The thriving pelagic flora, which stretches from the west coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, was measured using 19 years of NASA satellite images and detailed in a study published this month in Science magazine. University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University scientists found the seaweed’s growth spurts occur in years when runoff from the Amazon River includes large amounts of fertilizer and when an upwelling in the eastern Atlantic brings cooler water and nutrients from the bottom of the ocean to the surface. For beachgoers the bloom can be a smelly nuisance, but at least one Palm Beach County fisherman noted another characteristic to the floating wrack line that has piqued the interest of an FAU researcher — there are fewer critters in the weed. ‘Just one little clump used to have tons of little creatures, crabs and shrimp, and we’d be sure to throw it back in the water right away if it got on the boat,’ said Bill Taylor, who runs Black Dog Fishing Carters at the Jupiter Inlet. ‘So we were excited to see it when it came back, but it’s upsetting because there is no life in it.’” [Palm Beach Post, 7/10/19 (+)]

 

Op-Ed: Wait, You’re Not Going To Drink That, Are You? (Or Swim In It Or Even Touch It?) According to Florida Phoenix, “The water is trying to kill you. The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, plus Florida’s rivers and springs and lakes and streams and sloughs and marshes and creeks and sinks, can be–and often are–deadly. Wait, you’re not going to drink that, are you? What comes out of Florida’s taps can be a bit iffy, what with coliform bacteria and runoff from superfund sites. Arsenic, too, and sometimes just good old salt: rising sea levels mean contaminated wells. Rum’s safer. Like to boat on the St. Johns or the Caloosahatchee or the St. Lucie or the Santa Fe? Don’t touch the water. Blue-green algae is living large in our rivers and it’s poisonous. Stuff causes nasty skin rashes, diarrhea, liver problems, and respiratory stress. The fish don’t like it, either. You can tell by the way they’re floating belly up in protest. Big Paper and Big Ag blame lawn fertilizer and septic tanks for the noisome, nutrient-rich runoff choking our water bodies; people with septic tanks and lush lawns blame Big Paper and Big Ag. They’re all correct. In late April, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a ‘Blue-Green Algae Task Force’ to study the problem, which, to Florida politicians, is almost as good as actually doing something about it.” [Florida Phoenix, 7/10/19 (+)]

 

New Jersey Algae

 

Mercer County Lake Becomes 3rd Lake To Be Closed To Swimmers For Algae Bloom. According to News 12 New Jersey, “A Mercer County lake has become the third lake in the state to be closed to swimming due to a dangerous algae bloom. Swimming, boating and fishing are prohibited in Rosendale Lake at Mercer Meadows Park in Pennington due to the dangerous algae, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The park remains open, and visitors are still allowed inside. But they are advised to avoid contact with the water. The algae can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms, and blistering around the mouth. This is the same type of algae that is impacting Lake Hopatcong and Spruce Run Reservoir. Officials say that they do not have a timeline as to when the bodies of water will be safe.” [News 12 New Jersey, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Toxic, Rash-Inducing Algae Bloom Spotted At Third N.J. Lake. According to NJ.com, “Another algal bloom that can cause rashes and other health problems was spotted at a third New Jersey lake this week. Rosedale Lake at Mercer Meadows Park in Pennington was closed to all recreation including swimming, boating and fishing on Tuesday after a harmful algal bloom was discovered, according to the Mercer County Parks Commission. None of the park’s other bodies of water were affected and all playgrounds, trails, dog park and picnic areas were open to the public, the commission said. The bloom, which is caused by cyanobacteria, can cause abdominal pain, headaches, vomiting, nausea, blistering around the mouth and flu-like symptoms A swimming advisory has been in place in the state’s largest lake, Lake Hopatcong, since late June and at Spruce Run in Clinton Township, the third largest reservoir in the state, for nearly two months. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officials still have not said when they expect the Lake Hopatcong swimming advisory to be lifted and that the bloom there could linger throughout the summer.” [NJ.com, 7/9/19 (+)]

 

Exasperated Crowd Wants Answers About Toxic Algae Bloom In Lake Hopatcong. According to NJ.com, “The state’s top environmental official toured Lake Hopatcong on a boat Monday afternoon, eleven days after signing off on an advisory against swimming or otherwise coming in contact with the water. Afterward, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe attended a standing-room only meeting of the Lake Hopatcong Commission, the state agency overseeing the 2,500-acre lake, and empathized with the impact on local businesses, residents and tourists. ‘I thought it really important to see what is happening myself,’ McCabe said during the commission’s 7 p.m. meeting, which drew approximately 300 to Hopatcong High School. DEP issued an advisory June 27 against swimming, jet skiing, kayaking, wind-surfing, paddle-boarding and fishing at Lake Hopatcong due to the presence of harmful algal bloom, or HAB. More than 20 speakers at the meeting raised a wide range of issues, from the current crisis to developing a long-term strategy for improving the state’s largest lake. James Mazalewski, who lives in the Elba Point section of Hopatcong, spoke near the end of the nearly three-hour meeting. ‘We only have to look down off our docks to know that the lake is sick,’ Mazalewski told the commission.” [NJ.com, 7/8/19 (+)]

 

Lake Hopatcong's Toxic Algae Bloom Renews Fight Over Stormwater Law Derided As 'Rain Tax'. According to North Jersey Record, “The severity of toxic algae blooms like the one affecting popular Lake Hopatcong could be minimized if more New Jersey towns impose fees on property owners to pay for upgrades that reduce runoff into lakes and rivers, environmentalists say. But some of the most ardent critics of a new state law that allows the fees to be collected through local stormwater utilities are legislators who represent communities surrounding Lake Hopatcong and other popular lakes and rivers in northwest New Jersey. Those legislators are urging towns to reject what they call a ‘rain tax.’ They say allowing towns to create their own stormwater utility is another level of government that is unneeded in a state with 565 municipalities and 21 counties. Supporters of the law say it’s irresponsible for legislators to deride a measure that can benefit the communities they represent. The lawmakers say they are being fiscally prudent in a state with the highest property taxes in the nation. ‘Not every town needs a stormwater utility, but when you have a problem like the state’s biggest lake being closed for swimming it might be something you want to consider,’ said Chris Sturm, a water policy expert with New Jersey Future, a nonprofit that advocates a balance between economic development and environmental protection.” [North Jersey Record, 7/8/19 (=)]

 

PFAS

 

House To Vote On PFAS Superfund Amendment. According to Politico, “The House will vote after all on a closely-watched amendment to the defense authorization bill, H.R. 2500 (116), that would require EPA to designate all PFAS as hazardous for the purposes of Superfund. A spokesperson for the House Rules Committee said that a ‘clerical error’ resulted in the amendment from Michigan Democratic Reps. Debbie Dingell and Dan Kildee being excluded from the list of amendments ruled in order late last night. ‘We are amending the rule to include it, as was our intention,’ spokesperson Jeff Gohringer said by email. Designating the toxic chemicals as ‘hazardous’ under the Superfund law is seen as crucial to getting the Defense Department and other responsible parties to undertake — and pay for — cleanups of contaminated sites. But bipartisan leaders in the Senate have not been able to craft a compromise on the topic, and it was not included in the PFAS package approved as part of the Senate’s defense bill last month. Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, who has led PFAS negotiations in the upper chamber for Democrats, said Tuesday that inclusion of the amendment in the House bill would be ‘very helpful’ to proponents of action when the bill goes to conference. The full House begins consideration of the defense bill today.” [Politico, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Rules Committee Allows House Debate On Suite Of PFAS Amendments. According to Inside EPA, “The House Rules Committee is allowing lawmakers to debate a series of amendments governing perfluorinated chemicals when lawmakers take up the annual defense authorization bill in the coming days, including a key amendment requiring EPA to quickly designate the chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law. In addition to the amendment requiring EPA to designate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the committee also allowed debate on several other PFAS-related amendments. They include several introduced before the July 4 recess, as well as one filed later by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) that would require EPA to set effluent limits for PFAS under the CWA. The Pappas effluent amendment mirrors language in legislation he introduced with Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) earlier this month.” [Inside EPA, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

House Poised To Debate PFAS Superfund Listing, Sparking Gop Criticism. According to Inside EPA, “The House is gearing up to debate an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would require EPA to list perfluorinated chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, a move that is already prompting strong opposition from a top Senate Republican opposed to the measure. The House Rules Committee July 9 ruled that the amendment, authored by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Dan Kildee (D-MI), is in order, underscoring supporters’ hopes that the measure will be approved on the House floor and eventually make it in to a defense bill. Kildee, in an interview with Inside EPA, said the hazardous substances provision is ‘a pretty important piece’ of a comprehensive PFAS package that members of the bipartisan PFAS Task Force have been working on for months. ‘This is what we’ve been building to as a next step,’ he said of the amendments to be considered. The amendment would require EPA to designate PFAS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) within one year, and is one of several amendments dealing with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) the committee said could be debated on the floor.” [Inside EPA, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Lawmakers Brawl Over PFAS Riders. According to E&E News, “House Democrats are at odds with the White House, Senate Republicans and each other over provisions in defense policy legislation that aim to address toxic chemicals found in drinking water. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, were once championed for their nonstick and water resistant properties. But the man-made substances have been linked to thyroid issues, birth defects and other health problems. As a result of the military’s long-standing use of PFAS in firefighting foam, the House and Senate National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020 includes provisions against the chemicals. But the White House is threatening to veto the House bill over a laundry list of concerns, including the PFAS language. That drew Democratic ire yesterday and Senate pushback. Disagreements over how to label the chemicals for the purpose of federal law is also dividing the chambers and parties. ‘We have legacy contamination that will take literally decades to clean up, and we want to just stop it now,’ said Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), who backed the House language. ‘We know of the harmful effects [of PFAS] and this administration is just anti-clean water,’ she added.” [E&E News, 7/11/19 (=)]

 

Barrasso Slams House PFAS Amendments. According to Politico, “Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is slamming a series of amendments relating to toxic PFAS chemicals that the House is slated to vote on later this week as part of its defense authorization bill. Among the amendments are a provision that would designate all types of PFAS as hazardous for the purposes of Superfund — a move seen as key to prodding the Defense Department and other responsible parties to clean up contamination — and a provision that would require EPA to publish effluent limits for the chemicals under the Clean Water Act. Neither issue was included in the bipartisan PFAS package passed by the Senate last month. ‘Rather than seek similar compromise, House Democrats are proposing to saddle local airports, farmers and ranchers, water utilities, and countless small businesses with billions of dollars in liability,’ Barrasso said in a statement. Stand-alone legislation requiring the Superfund designation drew bipartisan co-sponsors in both chambers, but Senate Republicans and Democrats have been unable to reach a deal on the issue.” [Politico, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Speaking Of PFAS. According to Politico, “As the House prepares to vote on a series of amendments to its defense bill pertaining to the chemicals, including one to designate all PFAS as hazardous under the Superfund law, Senate EPW Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is voicing strong objections, Pro’s Annie Snider reports. ‘House Democrats are proposing to saddle local airports, farmers and ranchers, water utilities, and countless small businesses with billions of dollars in liability,’ Barrasso said in a statement. And then there’s the veto threat: The White House’s threat to kill the bill over a pair of PFAS provisions, among other objections, sent tempers flaring. New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall (D) called it ‘one of the most outrageous veto threats’ he’d seen in his years in Congress, while Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee (D) told ME: ‘The idea that the president suggests that he would block funding for the United States military because of the inconvenience that cleaning up chemical contamination causes is a bizarre set of values.’ Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) signaled he wasn’t too concerned about the veto threat. ‘It doesn’t make any difference right now,’ he told ME. ‘There is not a House bill that is going to be successful at passing as is right now the floor. Then again, if the objectionable parts of the bill pass the House, it would never get through conference anyway.’” [Politico, 7/11/19 (=)]

 

Wright On Cue. According to Politico, “The Senate today takes up the nomination of Peter Wright to run EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, which oversees the agency’s Superfund program. The chamber will vote at 11 a.m. on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination, with a confirmation vote to follow at 1:45 p.m. Ahead of the vote, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey decried the fact that EPA has not designated PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law. Wright ‘must commit to designating PFAS as hazardous substances, fulfilling the EPA’s promise from over a year ago and beginning the process of requiring DoD and other responsible parties to pay for cleanup of contaminated sites,’ Casey said in a statement.” [Politico, 7/11/19 (=)]

 

Flooding

 

'A Floodier Future': Scientists Say Records Will Be Broken. According to Associated Press, “The federal government is warning Americans to brace for a ‘floodier’ future. Government scientists predict 40 places in the U.S. will experience higher than normal rates of so-called sunny day flooding this year because of rising sea levels and an abnormal El Nino weather system. A report released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that sunny day flooding, also known as tidal flooding, will continue to increase. ‘The future is already here, a floodier future,’ said William Sweet, a NOAA oceanographer and lead author of the study. The report predicted that annual flood records will be broken again next year and for years and decades to come from sea-level rise. ‘Flooding that decades ago usually happened only during a powerful or localized storm can now happen when a steady breeze or a change in coastal current overlaps with a high tide,’ it read.” [Associated Press, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Mississippi River Will Rise To Top Of Lowest New Orleans Levees As Possible Hurricane Nears, Experts Say. According to The Times-Picayune, “South Louisiana should brace for the effects of a storm expected to be named Hurricane Barry by the time it makes landfall with maximum winds of 85 mph along the state’s southwestern coastline Saturday, the National Hurricane Center warned Wednesday. While the storm’s winds are expected to reach only Category 1 status, forecasters believe it will pack a punch in the form of massive rainfall and formidable storm surge. On Wednesday morning, forecasters increased to 20 feet their estimate of how high the Mississippi River will rise at the Carrollton Gauge in New Orleans, on Saturday. That higher crest would result from several feet of storm surge, compounding already-high river levels from Midwest flooding. The official flood stage in New Orleans is 17 feet, but a combination of recently elevated earthen levees and floodwalls on both sides of the river in the New Orleans area protect most locations to water heights of between 20 and 22 feet. However, some levee segments along both the east and west banks could be as low as 18 feet. Thus, a 20-foot river height could cause overtopping at some of those locations, something that has never happened in the city’s modern history.” [The Times-Picayune, 7/10/19 (+)]

 

New Orleans Is Already Flooded — And The Worst May Be Yet To Come: Forecasters Are Predicting A Hurricane. According to USA Today, “New Orleans is prepping for a hurricane. The flooding has already hit. On the same day that a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration report warned Americans of a ‘floodier’ future, some streets in Louisiana’s largest city, including in the famed French Quarter, looked more like rivers. Lines of thunderstorms associated with a weather system that is predicted to develop into a hurricane by Friday struck New Orleans with as much as 7 inches of rain within a three-hour period Wednesday morning, forecasters said. The city was engulfed with water, leaving residents to contend with swampy streets, overturned garbage cans and flooded vehicles. Some even paddled their way down the street in kayaks. Chandris Rethmeyer said she lost her car to the flood and had to wade through water about 4 feet deep to get to safety. Rethmeyer said she was on her way home after working an overnight shift when she got stuck behind a car accident in an underpass and the water began to rise. ‘I was going to sit in my car and let the storm pass,’ she said. ‘But I reached back to get my son’s iPad and put my hand into a puddle of water.’” [USA Today, 7/10/19 (+)]

 

'Doggone It, The Rivers Are Still Just So High'. According to E&E News, “Continued flooding throughout the Midwest has stymied the Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to repair levees damaged by this spring’s heavy rains, leaders told lawmakers yesterday. ‘We can start work on some areas pretty soon, but, doggone it, the rivers are still just so high, there’s not a lot of work we are going to be able to do,’ Army Corps head R.D. James told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Initially set to discuss Army Corps implementation of past water infrastructure legislation, much of yesterday’s hearing focused on catastrophic flooding. Army Corps officials told lawmakers that, at its highest point, more than 400 river gauges were in flood stage across the country this spring. The Mississippi River has been flooding for the past 260 days, and is expected to continue for multiple weeks. Already, the flooding has caused $1.9 billion in damages to Army Corps structures, like levees. But Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Maj. Gen. Scott Spellmon cautioned that that number could increase significantly. ‘That is primarily from Omaha to Kansas City, where the water has fallen enough to do detailed assessments,’ he said. South of St. Louis, he said, the water is still too high to adequately assess damages.” [E&E News, 7/11/19 (=)]

 

AP | Erie, Ontario Set Water-Level Records. According to E&E News, “Water levels in two of the Great Lakes are the highest ever recorded. The Army Corps of Engineers said yesterday that Lakes Erie and Ontario last month reached their highest points since record-keeping began in 1918. Also setting a new mark was Lake St. Clair, which is part of the waterway linking Lakes Huron and Erie. Meanwhile, Lake Superior’s level set a record for the month of June. Lakes Huron and Michigan missed setting a monthly record by less than an inch. Previous highs for June were reached in 1986 on Lakes Superior, St. Clair and Erie and in 2017 on Lake Ontario. Hydrologist Keith Kompoltowicz of the Army Corps says three months of abnormally wet weather has kept stream flows into the Great Lakes well above average.” [E&E News, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Climate Change: More High Tide Flooding Is On Its Way For South Florida. According to Palm Beach Post, “As surely as the seasons, the water will come, a silent surge that in 30 years could mean up to 55 days annually where South Florida streets become streams and storm grates bubble backwards, according to a new report released Wednesday. The federal analysis of high tide flood events in 2018, which includes a forecast through 2050, is a yearly reminder that sea levels are rising so that future tidal overruns could increasingly be triggered by nothing more than an untimely shift in wind during a full moon. Called ‘nuisance’ or ‘sunny day’ flooding, tidal inundations most often occur in South Florida during the fall king tide cycle — a function of a slower Gulf Stream current, warmer waters and lunar alignment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration changed how it measures high tide flooding last year in an attempt to assess more severe vulnerabilities nationally. That change resulted in no days meeting the flood criteria last year as measured by the official gauge at Virginia Key near Miami.” [Palm Beach Post, 7/10/19 (+)]

 

Clean Water Act & WOTUS

 

California Clean Water Act One Step Closer To Becoming Law. According to KSRO, “The California Clean Water Act is in its final steps before becoming law. State Senator Jeff Stone of Temecula supported the bill all the way up and says it’s long overdue. If Governor Gavin Newsom signs the bill it would redirect up to $130 million from a fund used to improve air quality and use it for drinking water. Some environmental groups oppose the measure saying it’s an inappropriate use of the money. Nearly one million Californians don’t have access to clean drinking water. The state Assembly approved the proposal Friday and was approved by the Senate this week.” [KSRO, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Misc. Waterways

 

Colo. May Go All In On Gambling To Fund Conservation. According to E&E News, “Can sports gambling save Colorado’s water? Gov. Jared Polis (D) and the state Legislature are betting it can. They have passed and signed a bill that puts the question of legalizing sports gambling to Colorado voters on a ballot measure this November. Proposition DD would impose a 10% tax on gambling proceeds. A big chunk of that money would go to implementing the state’s water plan. The measure has received scant attention, but it has sparked controversy in the environmental community — including charges that it greenwashes the politically and morally sticky gambling issue. Backers say the revenues would help close a roughly $100-million-per-year shortfall in the water plan budget. And they note that there is precedent in the state for this type of measure: Revenues from the state lottery are used in wilderness and outdoor programs. ‘The realities that Colorado’s budget is that it’s often hard to find dollars for projects that have the size and scope of water,’ said state Sen. Kerry Donovan (D), a sponsor of the measure. ‘This will give us an ability to build up financial resources to fund the water plan.’” [E&E News, 7/10/19 (=)]

 

Dems Reintroduce Bill To Lower Lead Levels. According to E&E News, “Democratic lawmakers reintroduced legislation yesterday to lower EPA’s acceptable level of lead in drinking water. Under the existing Lead and Copper Rule, utilities are required to take action if lead concentrations in tap water exceed 15 parts per billion at more than 10% of testing sites. The ‘National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence (NO LEAD) Act’ would update EPA’s regulations and set a new action level at 10 ppb by 2020 and 5 ppb by 2026. ‘When families send their children to school or turn on their faucet at home, they should not have to worry about their drinking water being contaminated with a dangerous neurotoxin like lead,’ said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who first introduced the ‘NO LEAD Act’ two years ago with Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). Established in 1991, the 15-ppb standard was part of a compromise with the water utility industry. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a 10-micrograms-per-deciliter threshold for blood lead levels in children and infants. EPA calculated its 15-ppb action level for lead in water would result in less than 5% of children younger than 7 years old with blood lead levels exceeding that threshold.” [E&E News, 7/11/19 (=)]