What is a Super Gage?
A gage at which continuous flow and water level are determined, along with continuous traditional water-quality (water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and/or turbidity) and either of the following criteria:
at least one other less-traditional continuous water-quality parameter (orthophosphate, nitrate concentration) and/or where surrogates (developed from regression models) which are used to esitmate time series concentrations of constituents (such as suspended sediment, total nitrogen or total phosphorous).
Data readings are collected at the super gage sites every 15 minutes via satellite, transmitted hourly, and processed into a national database. The data is uploaded to a national server that publishes the data to the public, making it real-time.
Real-time water quality (RTWQ) refers to in-stream water-quality measurements made available on the web in real-time. Providing these data in real-time informs the user of stream conditions for various uses and public safety.
Super Gage
Super gages provide real-time data specifically designed to improved our understanding of watershed processes and to address specific water-resource issues such as climate and land-use effects, water-related human health issues, floods and droughts, or hazardous substance spills. Our ability to model estimates of continuous data (sediment surrogates) and continuous nitrate data help improve estimates of loads to downstream critical areas such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes.
Continuous concentrations can be used to determine continuous loads (mass transportover time) of key nutirents pr sediment. Concentration and loading data are updated hourly on the web and display intervals of 15 minutes to 4 hours.
Super Gage Types
Super gages differ by the type of equipment deployed and available modeled constituents. Additional data, such as precipitation or water-quality samples, also may be collected. The specific site page lists all available data for each station.
| Type | Water-Quality Parameters |
| Continuous | water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and/or turbidity |
| Nitrate | water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate |
| Nitrate and Modeled Constituent | water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate, modeled constituent |
| Nutrient | water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate, orthophosphate as phosphorus |
| Nutirent and Modeled Constituent | water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate, orthophosphate as phosphorus, modeled constituent |
| Sediment and Modeled Constituent | water temperature, turbidity, modeled suspended sediment |
What types of equipment do we use in a super gage?
- Water-quality sondes
- Ultraviolet nitrate sensor
- Automated phosphate analyzer
How do we know the super gages are functioning correctly?
We do representative stream-width and depth-integrated sampling to verify the super gage data and to collect data for surrogate models.
What's a surrogate model?
"Surrogate" Constituent Models are developed at USGS streamflow gages, called Super Gages, throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Each Super Gage deploys a variety of in-situ continuous water-quality monitors and is intermittently sampled for water-quality constituents over the range of hydrologic and seasonal conditions. By statistically combining continuous water-quality data with intermittent samples, models are developed to continuously estimate constituents that are not easily measured in real-time. For example, after a Surrogate Constituent Model is developed, turbidity (clarity of water) may be used to estimate suspended sediment concentration. Click here for a list of Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center Surrogate Constituent Models.
We develop surrogate models by
- comparing in-stream values to discrete values then
- develop a regression model to estimate concentrations during non-sampled periods.
From the surrogate model, we get computed or estimated concentrations of a constituent of greater interest.
Many states provide hourly computed concentrations and loads for sediment, nutrients, bacteria, and many additional constituents; uncertainty values and probabilities for exceeding drinking water or recreational criteria; frequency distribution curves; and all historical hourly in-stream sensor measurements.
Want to Know More?
View the station data and more information for each site.
Related science items are listed below.
Conservation Farming Relating to Water-Quality and Quantity
GLRI Edge of Field Monitoring
Nutrient Delivery to the Mississippi River from Kentucky
Kankakee River at Davis, IN Mega Gage: Monitoring Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
Monitoring Large Rivers in Kentucky
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Overview
What is a Super Gage?
A gage at which continuous flow and water level are determined, along with continuous traditional water-quality (water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and/or turbidity) and either of the following criteria:
at least one other less-traditional continuous water-quality parameter (orthophosphate, nitrate concentration) and/or where surrogates (developed from regression models) which are used to esitmate time series concentrations of constituents (such as suspended sediment, total nitrogen or total phosphorous).
Data readings are collected at the super gage sites every 15 minutes via satellite, transmitted hourly, and processed into a national database. The data is uploaded to a national server that publishes the data to the public, making it real-time.
Real-time water quality (RTWQ) refers to in-stream water-quality measurements made available on the web in real-time. Providing these data in real-time informs the user of stream conditions for various uses and public safety.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Super Gage
Super gages provide real-time data specifically designed to improved our understanding of watershed processes and to address specific water-resource issues such as climate and land-use effects, water-related human health issues, floods and droughts, or hazardous substance spills. Our ability to model estimates of continuous data (sediment surrogates) and continuous nitrate data help improve estimates of loads to downstream critical areas such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes.
Continuous concentrations can be used to determine continuous loads (mass transportover time) of key nutirents pr sediment. Concentration and loading data are updated hourly on the web and display intervals of 15 minutes to 4 hours.
Super Gage Types
Super gages differ by the type of equipment deployed and available modeled constituents. Additional data, such as precipitation or water-quality samples, also may be collected. The specific site page lists all available data for each station.
Type Water-Quality Parameters Continuous water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and/or turbidity Nitrate water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate Nitrate and Modeled Constituent water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate, modeled constituent Nutrient water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate, orthophosphate as phosphorus Nutirent and Modeled Constituent water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nitrate plus nitrate, orthophosphate as phosphorus, modeled constituent Sediment and Modeled Constituent water temperature, turbidity, modeled suspended sediment
What types of equipment do we use in a super gage?
- Water-quality sondes
- Ultraviolet nitrate sensor
- Automated phosphate analyzer
How do we know the super gages are functioning correctly?
We do representative stream-width and depth-integrated sampling to verify the super gage data and to collect data for surrogate models.
What's a surrogate model?
"Surrogate" Constituent Models are developed at USGS streamflow gages, called Super Gages, throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Each Super Gage deploys a variety of in-situ continuous water-quality monitors and is intermittently sampled for water-quality constituents over the range of hydrologic and seasonal conditions. By statistically combining continuous water-quality data with intermittent samples, models are developed to continuously estimate constituents that are not easily measured in real-time. For example, after a Surrogate Constituent Model is developed, turbidity (clarity of water) may be used to estimate suspended sediment concentration. Click here for a list of Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center Surrogate Constituent Models.
We develop surrogate models by
- comparing in-stream values to discrete values then
- develop a regression model to estimate concentrations during non-sampled periods.
From the surrogate model, we get computed or estimated concentrations of a constituent of greater interest.
Many states provide hourly computed concentrations and loads for sediment, nutrients, bacteria, and many additional constituents; uncertainty values and probabilities for exceeding drinking water or recreational criteria; frequency distribution curves; and all historical hourly in-stream sensor measurements.
Want to Know More?
View the station data and more information for each site.
- Science
Related science items are listed below.
Conservation Farming Relating to Water-Quality and Quantity
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservations Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have focused part of the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) on the School Branch watershed. The USGS is collaborating, through a Clean Water Act Section 319 grant, with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to accomplish NWQI nonpoint-source water-pollution...GLRI Edge of Field Monitoring
Edge-of-field monitoring focuses on identifying and reducing agricultural sources of excess nutrients which threaten the health of the Great Lakes. The USGS supports these efforts by utilizing edge-of-field monitoring to assess the quantity and quality of agricultural runoff and evaluate conservation practices that aim to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.Nutrient Delivery to the Mississippi River from Kentucky
Scientists will be collecting field water-quality parameters and samples for laboratory analysis of nutrients, silica, and suspended sediment at the USGS Ohio River at Ironton, OH gaging station and the Green River at Spottsville, KY gaging station on a monthly basis. Stable isotope water samples also will be collected at the Green River site. The Ohio River at Ironton, OH site will serve, along...Kankakee River at Davis, IN Mega Gage: Monitoring Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions
What is the groundwater contribution to nitrates in surface water? That's the question we are trying to answer by looking at surface-water and groundwater interaction and the role each play in the movement of nitrates. We have added additional monitoring equipment to the USGS super gage Kankakee River at Davis, IN, which will allow us to calculate the nitrate load in groundwater using flow...Monitoring Large Rivers in Kentucky
Water Science Center scientists monitor several rivers in Kentucky as part of the USGS National Water-Quality Program (NWQP). As part of the NWQP program , USGS scientists from across the country are determine the status and trends of loads and concentrations of contaminants, nutrients, and sediment in the Nation’s large rivers. - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications