USGS Ohio Water Science Center

Celebrate Earth Science Week – October 12-18, 2008.

Scientist demonstrates water quality sampling.

10/01/2008 --“No Child Left Inside” is the theme for this year’s Earth Science Week. The USGS is a proud partner of this annual international event sponsored by the American Geological Institute. Earth Science Week promotes responsible stewardship of the Earth and encourages children and adults alike to explore the earth sciences. Staff from the USGS Ohio Water Science Center are participating in the event through Darby Creek Day, Sunday, October 5, at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. There are many other Earth Science Week events in Ohio and throughout the country. We’ll see you outside!

How Dry Is It?

09/05/2008 --Exactly how dry (or wet) has it been lately? To help answer that question, duration hydrographs have been added as a new option under the drought watch pick list on the USGS WaterWatch Web page for Ohio. You can input a stream name or gaging station number and also select a 7-, 14-, or 28-day averaging period. An example for a streamflow gaging station (the Scioto River at Prospect, Ohio) is shown here. The plot shows a trace of the running 7-day average streamflow (the black line beginning on January 1 of the previous calendar year) as well as colored bands that represent historical percentile ranges of streamflow for each calendar day. (more).

Is It Safe to Swim at the Beach?

Is It Safe to Swim at the Beach? 06/12/2008 --Concern about water quality at recreational beaches along the Great Lakes is the focus of a new collaborative project aimed at improving information for beach managers faced with deciding whether to close beaches or issue advisories to protect public health. USGS scientists will focus on real-time assessments of water quality--such as the Nowcast system used at two Ohio Lake Erie beaches--by enhancing and expanding models that help beach managers decide if beach advisories or closures are necessary. They will continue to evaluate rapid analytical methods for bacterial indicators, such as E. coli, and identify processes that influence the occurrence and abundance of pathogens and bacterial indicators at beaches. This project is funded through the President's Ocean Action Plan and draws on the expertise of the USGS and other federal, state and local agencies. (more).

Older News

Nowcasting Beach Advisories at Ohio Lake Erie Beaches

keywords: Ohio, Lake Erie, beaches, E. coli, Nowcast, modeling

Algal Biomass Indicators

keywords: USGS, algal biomass, algae, chlorophyll a, field manual

Flood of June 22–24, 2006, in North-Central Ohio, With Emphasis on the Cuyahoga River Near Independence

keywords: Cuyahoga River, flood, Ohio

Consumptive Water-Use Coefficients for the Great Lakes Basin and Climatically Similar Areas

keywords: Great Lakes, water-use, consumptive use,

Location

Ohio Water Science Center:
6480 Doubletree Ave
Columbus, OH 43229-1111
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Phone (614) 430-7700
Fax (614) 430-7777