Verifying Bridge Scour Sonar Accuracy

Hydrologic technician Russ Miller navigates a remote-controlled acoustic Doppler current profiler into position to measure streeambed elevation at a highway bridge over the Payette River near Letha, Idaho. Technicians from the USGS Idaho Water Science Center used the ADCP measurements to verify the accuracy of two sonar devices installed on the bridge that transmit real-time streambed elevation. The USGS installed the sonar devices in cooperation with the Idaho Transportation Department as part of a pilot study to provide real-time monitoring to protect against bridge scour, the leading cause of bridge failures.