Looking downstream (south) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended on the bank during gage installation next to the streamgage located on the bank on the left.
Streamflows at Baca and Alamosa National Wildlife Refuges using Non-Contact Technology
Active
By Colorado Water Science Center
April 5, 2021
The goal of this study is to design, install, and operationalize non-contact radar monitoring to measure streamflow at two sites at National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.
Where traditional monitoring equipment in a stream channel is difficult to operate and maintain, non-contact radar technology is a solution that provides more cost-effective and accurate continuous streamflow monitoring.
The results of this study will be used to guide the design and application of non-contact radar technology at other critical aquatic field sites with difficult environmental conditions in need of quick, effective water resource monitoring. In addition, this technology can be used for quantification of water rights and streamflows needed for restoration of endangered species habitat at NWRs.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
One of the two sites in the San Luis Valley is on North Crestone Creek draining the west slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and supplying water to Baca NWR in Colorado. North Crestone Creek is a high elevation mountain stream where traditional monitoring equipment in the stream channel is difficult to operate and maintain and has failed due to effects from flooding, sediment and debris, and washing out. The second site is on the Rio Grande flowing through Alamosa NWR in Colorado at New Ditch, an important water diversion structure for the refuge. This very wide and shallow stream reach experiences changing channel conditions during floods, making it difficult to monitor.
Near-field remote sensing technology has advanced in recent years with the advent of non-contact radars that measure and transmit stream stage and velocity in real-time. Data collected with non-contact radars can be used to compute streamflow at a cross section using an efficient algorithm based on the probability concept. Comparisons with traditional streamgage technology has shown that stage- and velocity-radar streamgages can produce continuous time series of mean velocity, stage, and streamflow that compare favorably to stage-discharge streamgages and can be computed in the absence of historical data while reducing the operational cost of maintaining a streamgage. Non-contact radars are also installed above the wetted-channel, which means they won’t be damaged by high-flow events and will remain operational even when the channel cross section changes. The advantages of stage and velocity radars combined with the probability concept include (1) improved safety, (2) reduced operational costs, (3) improved data delivery, and (4) increased operational efficiency. This technology has broad application throughout U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regions 5 and 7 as a low-cost, efficient streamflow monitoring system that could be moved from one site to the next with relative ease.
Current Conditions for the two sites at the following links:
- USGS 08227510 NORTH CRESTONE CREEK AT BACA NWR NEAR CRESTONE, CO
- USGS 08223400 RIO GRANDE AT ALAMOSA NWR NEAR ALAMOSA, CO
Below are other Colorado Water Science Center projects associated with this non-contact radar technology.
Remotely Sensed Discharge
River discharge is an important component of the water cycle, and an accurate accounting of streamflow can be accomplished by monitoring the spatial and temporal variations in river discharge. The U.S. Geological Survey is actively pursuing remote-sensing platforms to compute river discharge using a combination of satellite-, high altitude-, drone-, and fixed-based platforms to directly measure...
Radar on Drones
Small, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) or drones can be used to monitor extreme flows in basins that (1) respond quickly to precipitation events, (2) are not gaged, (3) are located in terrain that restricts access and equipment deployments, and (4) are altered by events such as wildfires.
Below are images taken at the two sites associated with this project.
08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO - 1
Looking downstream (south) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended on the bank during gage installation next to the streamgage located on the bank on the left.
08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO - 2
Looking across the stream (southwest) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the stream with the streamgage located on the bank on the left just out of view.
Looking across the stream (southwest) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the stream with the streamgage located on the bank on the left just out of view.
08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO - 1
Looking downstream (west) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with data logger and antennas on the bank on the right.
Looking downstream (west) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with data logger and antennas on the bank on the right.
08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO - 2
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; USGS hydrologist is servicing the streamgage.
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; USGS hydrologist is servicing the streamgage.
08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO - 3
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with USGS hydrologist servicing the streamgage on the bank on the left.
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with USGS hydrologist servicing the streamgage on the bank on the left.
The goal of this study is to design, install, and operationalize non-contact radar monitoring to measure streamflow at two sites at National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.
Where traditional monitoring equipment in a stream channel is difficult to operate and maintain, non-contact radar technology is a solution that provides more cost-effective and accurate continuous streamflow monitoring.
The results of this study will be used to guide the design and application of non-contact radar technology at other critical aquatic field sites with difficult environmental conditions in need of quick, effective water resource monitoring. In addition, this technology can be used for quantification of water rights and streamflows needed for restoration of endangered species habitat at NWRs.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
One of the two sites in the San Luis Valley is on North Crestone Creek draining the west slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and supplying water to Baca NWR in Colorado. North Crestone Creek is a high elevation mountain stream where traditional monitoring equipment in the stream channel is difficult to operate and maintain and has failed due to effects from flooding, sediment and debris, and washing out. The second site is on the Rio Grande flowing through Alamosa NWR in Colorado at New Ditch, an important water diversion structure for the refuge. This very wide and shallow stream reach experiences changing channel conditions during floods, making it difficult to monitor.
Near-field remote sensing technology has advanced in recent years with the advent of non-contact radars that measure and transmit stream stage and velocity in real-time. Data collected with non-contact radars can be used to compute streamflow at a cross section using an efficient algorithm based on the probability concept. Comparisons with traditional streamgage technology has shown that stage- and velocity-radar streamgages can produce continuous time series of mean velocity, stage, and streamflow that compare favorably to stage-discharge streamgages and can be computed in the absence of historical data while reducing the operational cost of maintaining a streamgage. Non-contact radars are also installed above the wetted-channel, which means they won’t be damaged by high-flow events and will remain operational even when the channel cross section changes. The advantages of stage and velocity radars combined with the probability concept include (1) improved safety, (2) reduced operational costs, (3) improved data delivery, and (4) increased operational efficiency. This technology has broad application throughout U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regions 5 and 7 as a low-cost, efficient streamflow monitoring system that could be moved from one site to the next with relative ease.
Current Conditions for the two sites at the following links:
- USGS 08227510 NORTH CRESTONE CREEK AT BACA NWR NEAR CRESTONE, CO
- USGS 08223400 RIO GRANDE AT ALAMOSA NWR NEAR ALAMOSA, CO
Below are other Colorado Water Science Center projects associated with this non-contact radar technology.
Remotely Sensed Discharge
River discharge is an important component of the water cycle, and an accurate accounting of streamflow can be accomplished by monitoring the spatial and temporal variations in river discharge. The U.S. Geological Survey is actively pursuing remote-sensing platforms to compute river discharge using a combination of satellite-, high altitude-, drone-, and fixed-based platforms to directly measure...
Radar on Drones
Small, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) or drones can be used to monitor extreme flows in basins that (1) respond quickly to precipitation events, (2) are not gaged, (3) are located in terrain that restricts access and equipment deployments, and (4) are altered by events such as wildfires.
Below are images taken at the two sites associated with this project.
08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO - 1
Looking downstream (south) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended on the bank during gage installation next to the streamgage located on the bank on the left.
Looking downstream (south) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended on the bank during gage installation next to the streamgage located on the bank on the left.
08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO - 2
Looking across the stream (southwest) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the stream with the streamgage located on the bank on the left just out of view.
Looking across the stream (southwest) at USGS streamgage 08223400 Rio Grande at Alamosa NWR near Alamosa, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the stream with the streamgage located on the bank on the left just out of view.
08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO - 1
Looking downstream (west) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with data logger and antennas on the bank on the right.
Looking downstream (west) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with data logger and antennas on the bank on the right.
08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO - 2
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; USGS hydrologist is servicing the streamgage.
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; USGS hydrologist is servicing the streamgage.
08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO - 3
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with USGS hydrologist servicing the streamgage on the bank on the left.
Looking upstream (east) at USGS streamgage 08227510 North Crestone Creek at Baca NWR near Crestone, CO; non-contact radar suspended above the creek with USGS hydrologist servicing the streamgage on the bank on the left.