USGS Responds to Spring Flooding in North Dakota

USGS hydrographer Brent Hanson wades out in freezing waters to collect flood measurements on the Sheyenne River near Cooperstown, North Dakota. Hanson reads an outside staff, which is a vertical graduated ruler used to calibrate the continuous readings of water level provided by electronic sensors. Water level is important information for communities living adjacent to streams to ensure the protection of life and property.