Snowmibiles needed to get to Blackrock Creek streamgage
Why do some real-time streamgaging stations stop transmitting data for extended periods of time?
The USGS usually corrects any equipment or station problems at our streamgages within a few days of their occurrence. Occasionally, replacement parts or equipment might not be readily available, or a station might be inaccessible due to weather conditions.
Most USGS streamgaging stations are operated in cooperation with other agencies. At some stations, the stage transmitting equipment is owned and maintained by other agencies to support their particular public missions. Those agencies might be limited in personnel, parts, or funds to maintain the equipment.
Learn more:
Related Content
Where can I get real-time and historical streamflow information?
The best starting point for USGS streamflow data is the interactive National Water Information System (NWIS): Mapper website. Zoom in to your area of interest or use the search options in the left navigation window. The map displays active surface-water sites by default, but you can change the type of water site (surface-water, groundwater, springs, atmospheric) and select to show inactive sites...
How often are real-time streamflow data updated?
USGS real-time streamflow data are typically recorded at 15-minute intervals, stored onsite, and then transmitted to USGS offices once every hour, depending on the data relay technique used. Recording and transmission times might be more frequent during critical events (floods, for example). Data from current sites are relayed to USGS offices via satellite, telephone, and/or radio telemetry and...
How do we benefit from USGS streamgages?
Information on the flow of rivers is a vital national asset that safeguards lives, protects property, and ensures adequate water supplies for the future. The USGS is the federal agency responsible for operating a network of about 7,000 streamgages nationwide. Data from this network are used by water managers, emergency responders, utilities, environmental agencies, universities, consulting firms...
Sometimes the USGS real-time stage data seems too high (or too low). Are the USGS data inaccurate?
There can be occasional equipment or database problems where erroneous data are reported for short periods of time until corrections can be made. This is why it is important to look at a record of streamflow (like the 7-day hydrograph plots) rather than a single point in time. However, most of the time the USGS has a high level of confidence in its real-time stage data. During low streamflow...
Why might USGS streamflow data be revised?
Real-time USGS streamflow data are PROVISIONAL, meaning that the data have not been reviewed or edited. These data might be subject to significant change and are not official until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Real-time streamflow data can be affected by: backwater from ice or debris such as log jams algae and aquatic growth in the stream sediment movement malfunction of recording equipment...
Why are there sometimes differences between USGS and National Weather Service river stages?
At some USGS streamgage installations, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) maintains a separate stage sensor that is serviced by NWS technicians. Calibration of any sensing device can occasionally drift from a "true" value, so there might be differences between USGS and NWS data reports. USGS personnel visit installations on an interval of 6 weeks or less to maintain equipment and make required...
Why does the USGS use the spelling "gage" instead of "gauge"?
The spelling of “gage” is part of our very rich USGS history. We have used that spelling for over a hundred years. In 1888, USGS Director John Wesley Powell met a very forward-thinking graduate student named Frederick Haynes Newell. Powell was so impressed that he made Newell the first full-time appointee to the new Irrigation Survey, which was created to investigate the potential for dams and...
What does the term "stream stage" mean?
Stream stage is an important concept when analyzing how much water is moving in a stream at any given moment. "Stage" is the water level above some arbitrary point in the river and is commonly measured in feet. For example, on a normal day when no rain has fallen for a while, a river might have a stage of 2 feet. If a big storm hits, the river stage could rise to 15 or 20 feet, sometimes very...
Does "stage" tell you how much water is flowing in a stream?
Not directly. You cannot say that because a stream rises (doubles) from a 10-foot stage to a 20-foot stage that the amount of flowing water also doubles. Think of a cereal bowl with a rounded bottom. Pour one inch of milk in it. It doesn't take much milk to make it up to the one inch level because the bowl is at its narrowest near the bottom. Now, pour in milk until it is two inches deep -- it...
Snowmibiles needed to get to Blackrock Creek streamgage
Snowmibiles needed to get to Blackrock Creek streamgage
Servicing a Streamgage at Addicks Reservoir following Hurricane Harvey
USGS scientist Jimmy Hopkins repairs a streamgage downstream of Addicks reservoir at Buffalo Bayou after flooding from Hurricane Harvey. This gauge is normally accessed on land from a platform on the side of a bridge.
USGS scientist Jimmy Hopkins repairs a streamgage downstream of Addicks reservoir at Buffalo Bayou after flooding from Hurricane Harvey. This gauge is normally accessed on land from a platform on the side of a bridge.
Servicing a Streamgage at Barker Reservoir Following Hurricane Harvey
USGS scientist Tom Pistillo wades through the waters of Barker Reservoir to ensure accurate reservoir water-level data are being measured, which are critical for helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District make informed reservoir operation decisions.
USGS scientist Tom Pistillo wades through the waters of Barker Reservoir to ensure accurate reservoir water-level data are being measured, which are critical for helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District make informed reservoir operation decisions.
A USGS Hydrologic Technician installs a new streamgage
U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Technician Patrick Anzman installs a new streamgage February 23 over the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk. Photo by Mason Manis, USGS.
U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Technician Patrick Anzman installs a new streamgage February 23 over the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk. Photo by Mason Manis, USGS.
Streamflow Gaging Station and Measurement on San Pedro River, AZ
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
Flood Waters Take USGS Streamgage Wind River near Crowheart, WY
Gagehouse at 06225500 Wind River near Crowheart WY right before it washed away.
Jul 01 2011; 13,900 ft3/s
Gagehouse at 06225500 Wind River near Crowheart WY right before it washed away.
Jul 01 2011; 13,900 ft3/s
Streamgages: The Silent Superhero
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Solar-Powered Streamgage
Solar-powered streamgage in Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier, Montana.
Solar-powered streamgage in Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier, Montana.
Related Content
- FAQ
Where can I get real-time and historical streamflow information?
The best starting point for USGS streamflow data is the interactive National Water Information System (NWIS): Mapper website. Zoom in to your area of interest or use the search options in the left navigation window. The map displays active surface-water sites by default, but you can change the type of water site (surface-water, groundwater, springs, atmospheric) and select to show inactive sites...
How often are real-time streamflow data updated?
USGS real-time streamflow data are typically recorded at 15-minute intervals, stored onsite, and then transmitted to USGS offices once every hour, depending on the data relay technique used. Recording and transmission times might be more frequent during critical events (floods, for example). Data from current sites are relayed to USGS offices via satellite, telephone, and/or radio telemetry and...
How do we benefit from USGS streamgages?
Information on the flow of rivers is a vital national asset that safeguards lives, protects property, and ensures adequate water supplies for the future. The USGS is the federal agency responsible for operating a network of about 7,000 streamgages nationwide. Data from this network are used by water managers, emergency responders, utilities, environmental agencies, universities, consulting firms...
Sometimes the USGS real-time stage data seems too high (or too low). Are the USGS data inaccurate?
There can be occasional equipment or database problems where erroneous data are reported for short periods of time until corrections can be made. This is why it is important to look at a record of streamflow (like the 7-day hydrograph plots) rather than a single point in time. However, most of the time the USGS has a high level of confidence in its real-time stage data. During low streamflow...
Why might USGS streamflow data be revised?
Real-time USGS streamflow data are PROVISIONAL, meaning that the data have not been reviewed or edited. These data might be subject to significant change and are not official until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Real-time streamflow data can be affected by: backwater from ice or debris such as log jams algae and aquatic growth in the stream sediment movement malfunction of recording equipment...
Why are there sometimes differences between USGS and National Weather Service river stages?
At some USGS streamgage installations, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) maintains a separate stage sensor that is serviced by NWS technicians. Calibration of any sensing device can occasionally drift from a "true" value, so there might be differences between USGS and NWS data reports. USGS personnel visit installations on an interval of 6 weeks or less to maintain equipment and make required...
Why does the USGS use the spelling "gage" instead of "gauge"?
The spelling of “gage” is part of our very rich USGS history. We have used that spelling for over a hundred years. In 1888, USGS Director John Wesley Powell met a very forward-thinking graduate student named Frederick Haynes Newell. Powell was so impressed that he made Newell the first full-time appointee to the new Irrigation Survey, which was created to investigate the potential for dams and...
What does the term "stream stage" mean?
Stream stage is an important concept when analyzing how much water is moving in a stream at any given moment. "Stage" is the water level above some arbitrary point in the river and is commonly measured in feet. For example, on a normal day when no rain has fallen for a while, a river might have a stage of 2 feet. If a big storm hits, the river stage could rise to 15 or 20 feet, sometimes very...
Does "stage" tell you how much water is flowing in a stream?
Not directly. You cannot say that because a stream rises (doubles) from a 10-foot stage to a 20-foot stage that the amount of flowing water also doubles. Think of a cereal bowl with a rounded bottom. Pour one inch of milk in it. It doesn't take much milk to make it up to the one inch level because the bowl is at its narrowest near the bottom. Now, pour in milk until it is two inches deep -- it...
- Multimedia
Snowmibiles needed to get to Blackrock Creek streamgage
Snowmibiles needed to get to Blackrock Creek streamgage
Snowmibiles needed to get to Blackrock Creek streamgage
Servicing a Streamgage at Addicks Reservoir following Hurricane HarveyUSGS scientist Jimmy Hopkins repairs a streamgage downstream of Addicks reservoir at Buffalo Bayou after flooding from Hurricane Harvey. This gauge is normally accessed on land from a platform on the side of a bridge.
USGS scientist Jimmy Hopkins repairs a streamgage downstream of Addicks reservoir at Buffalo Bayou after flooding from Hurricane Harvey. This gauge is normally accessed on land from a platform on the side of a bridge.
Servicing a Streamgage at Barker Reservoir Following Hurricane HarveyUSGS scientist Tom Pistillo wades through the waters of Barker Reservoir to ensure accurate reservoir water-level data are being measured, which are critical for helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District make informed reservoir operation decisions.
USGS scientist Tom Pistillo wades through the waters of Barker Reservoir to ensure accurate reservoir water-level data are being measured, which are critical for helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District make informed reservoir operation decisions.
A USGS Hydrologic Technician installs a new streamgageU.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Technician Patrick Anzman installs a new streamgage February 23 over the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk. Photo by Mason Manis, USGS.
U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Technician Patrick Anzman installs a new streamgage February 23 over the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk. Photo by Mason Manis, USGS.
Streamflow Gaging Station and Measurement on San Pedro River, AZUSGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
Flood Waters Take USGS Streamgage Wind River near Crowheart, WYGagehouse at 06225500 Wind River near Crowheart WY right before it washed away.
Jul 01 2011; 13,900 ft3/s
Gagehouse at 06225500 Wind River near Crowheart WY right before it washed away.
Jul 01 2011; 13,900 ft3/s
Streamgages: The Silent SuperheroWhether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Solar-Powered StreamgageSolar-powered streamgage in Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier, Montana.
Solar-powered streamgage in Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier, Montana.
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