43.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the official temperature for Lake Erie offshore of Cleveland as of today, November 28. While that's still a good bit above freezing, as winter progresses and the lake temperature continues to drop we're on the lookout for ice formation.
Over the last 24 hours, strong winds blowing from the northwest to the southeast over the Great Lakes has caused massive downwelling events and temperature swings.
Protecting our shared natural resources that we all need to live – clean air, clean water, and healthy native habitats on land – is critical to creating and maintaining a robust economy and a good quality of life.
Each summer, pockets of water with low levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) develop in areas of Lake Erie’s Central Basin, which stretches from Sandusky to Erie, PA.
Have you ever set a glass of water on your bedside table only to take a drink out of it a few days later and think the water tastes “flat” or different? Chances are the water is missing dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen (also called DO) is gaseous oxygen dissolved in water that you can’t see. Generally speaking, the more dissolved oxygen in the water the better it tastes.
The Cleveland Water system is designed with numerous layers of protection to help ensure only clean, safe drinking water reaches your tap. These advantages start with the location of where we draw water in from Lake Erie, extend to our four treatment plants, and continue throughout our delivery system.
Last week while monitoring sensors on Cleveland Water’s two buoys in Lake Erie, our staff noticed a downwelling event. Water temperature shifts like this can result in adjustments to the treatment process at our plants in order to maintain the quality and consistency of the water coming from your tap.
Did you notice that the water coming out of your tap was a little warmer today than it was a few days ago? You can thank summer and strong winds over Lake Erie for that.
Across the Great Lakes, buoys are going overboard, taking their annual spring plunge back into the water. This week, Cleveland Water’s two buoys will join 14 others stationed in Lake Erie that keep tabs on water quality and meteorological conditions.