Water-quality records have different time meanings. A continuous sensor may report every few minutes. A discrete sample records what was collected at a specific place and time, then analyzed later. An official advisory has its own effective period and policy meaning.
A sample from last month remains valuable history, but it is not a current condition. LakeRiverNow stores sample time separately from ingestion and publication time and never relabels an old sample as “now.”
Method, detection limit, qualifier, laboratory, unit, depth, and matrix can matter as much as the number. Different methods are not merged simply because their characteristic names look similar.
For recreation, drinking water, fish consumption, or harmful algal blooms, consult the responsible state or local authority. A sensor reading or historic sample cannot replace an official advisory.