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Seth Siefken

Seth Siefken is a civil engineer based in Helena, Montana. He's been working with USGS since fall 2018, where his projects have included flood frequency analysis, water quality monitoring, writing software, and data collection in the field.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. Civil Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 2019

  • B.S. Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 2017 (minor in Mathematics)

  • Seth is a licensed professional engineer in Montana. 

Science and Products

link
Kootenay River looking upstream from boat launch near Goat River, Creston, BC.

Developing CE-QUAL-W2 Models of the Kootenai River and Koocanusa Reservoir, Montana and Idaho

The construction and operation of Libby Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project located in northwestern Montana, has altered the natural hydrograph, thermal regime, sediment transport, and nutrient loadings on the Kootenai River. Dam operation impacts riverine ecosystem function and many fish species, including the federally endangered Kootenai River White Sturgeon and federally...
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
link

Developing CE-QUAL-W2 Models of the Kootenai River and Koocanusa Reservoir, Montana and Idaho

The construction and operation of Libby Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project located in northwestern Montana, has altered the natural hydrograph, thermal regime, sediment transport, and nutrient loadings on the Kootenai River. Dam operation impacts riverine ecosystem function and many fish species, including the federally endangered Kootenai River White Sturgeon and federally...
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States

The proposed work will create a seamless pilot dataset of continuous basin characteristics (for example upstream average precipitation, elevation, or dominant land cover type) for the conterminous United States. Basin characteristic data are necessary for training or parameterizing statistical, machine learning, and physical models, and for making predictions across the landscape, particularly in
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States

The proposed work will create a seamless pilot dataset of continuous basin characteristics (for example upstream average precipitation, elevation, or dominant land cover type) for the conterminous United States. Basin characteristic data are necessary for training or parameterizing statistical, machine learning, and physical models, and for making predictions across the landscape, particularly in
Learn More
link
Peak-flow measurement at Flathead River at Flathead, British Columbia

Peak-Flow Frequency Analysis for Selected Montana Streamgages

Peak-flow frequency information is needed for flood-plain mapping, design of highway infrastructure, and many other purposes across Montana. The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center has an ongoing project working to update peak-flow frequency estimates at USGS streamgages across the state.
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
link

Peak-Flow Frequency Analysis for Selected Montana Streamgages

Peak-flow frequency information is needed for flood-plain mapping, design of highway infrastructure, and many other purposes across Montana. The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center has an ongoing project working to update peak-flow frequency estimates at USGS streamgages across the state.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 16

Physical and Hydraulic Monitoring on the Yellowstone River Fish Bypass Channel, Montana, May 2022 to August 2023

This data release was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation to present the results of monitoring efforts on the Yellowstone River fish bypass channel according to the specifications of the Lower Yellowstone Adaptive Management and Monitoring Plan. The fish bypass channel was constructed to provide upstream migrating fish with a route around a d
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin, based on data through water year 2022

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected US
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Channel geometry for upstream and downstream cross sections at selected bridge sites in Montana, 2022

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), collected cross-section data on the upstream and downstream sides at 18 sites involving 20 bridges in Montana during the 2022 calendar year. The purpose of the data collection is to determine if scour and channel instability occur in the vicinity of the bridge structures. Data were processed, analyzed,
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Channel geometry for upstream and downstream cross sections at selected bridge sites in Montana, 2021

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), collected cross-section data on the upstream and downstream sides at selected bridges in Montana during the 2021 calendar year. The purpose of the data collection is to determine if scour and channel instability occur in the vicinity of the bridge structures. Data were processed, analyzed, and compiled
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in Dawson and Richland Counties, and the Powder River Basin, Montana, based on data through water year 2022

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected US
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Probability of Streamflow Permanence (PROSPER) output rasters, 1989-2021, upper Missouri River Basin (ver. 2.0, July 2024)

The PROSPER output rasters represent the estimates of probability of annual streamflow permanence produced by the PRObability of Streamflow PERmanence (PROSPER) model, for years 1989 through 2021, in the upper Missouri River basin and parts of the Great Basin, Upper Colorado River basin, and Pacific Northwest hydrographic regions of the United States. The PROSPER model is a raster-based empirical
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Cataloging and Digitizing USGS Indirect Measurements for Montana through Water Year 2020

In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, cataloged and scanned notes and calculations for indirect measurements taken during flood events in Montana. This product provides a publicly available catalog of the field notes, photos, survey information, and calculations for indirect measurements at selected sites.
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages on tributaries of the Bighorn, Tongue, and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, based on data through water year 2021

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected US
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near the Milk River Basin, Montana, based on data through water year 2018, part 2

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages on the Bighorn, Tongue, and Lower Yellowstone Rivers and tributaries and Home Creek, Montana, based on data through water year 2021

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near Teton County, Montana, based on data through water year 2019

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near Powell County, Montana, based on data through water year 2019

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

June 2022 floods in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin

Extraordinary floods surged down the Yellowstone River and its tributaries in northwestern Wyoming and south-central Montana on June 13–15, 2022. During the flood, U.S. Geological Survey staff worked to maintain real-time data from streamgages by making field measurements of streamflow and repairing damaged equipment while communicating the latest streamflow information with the public and with lo
Authors
Katherine J. Chase, DeAnn Dutton, William B. Hamilton, Seth A. Siefken, Cassidy Vander Voort, Aroscott Whiteman
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, StreamStats

Yellowstone River fish bypass channel physical and hydraulic monitoring, Montana

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, began monitoring the Yellowstone River fish bypass channel according to the specifications of the Lower Yellowstone Adaptive Management and Monitoring Plan. The fish bypass channel was constructed to provide upstream migrating fish with a route around a diversion dam. The objective of this study is to monitor the physical a
Authors
J. Brooks Stephens, Jason S. Alexander, Seth A. Siefken
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Controlling skewness in MOVE3 peak-flow record extensions

Streamgage record extension methods such as the maintenance of variance Type 3 (MOVE3) method improve flood frequency estimates at a target streamgage by incorporating information from a nearby, hydrologically similar index streamgage. Bulletin 17C recommends using a variation of the MOVE3 method to estimate values at the target streamgage for only a subset of the available data at the index strea
Authors
Seth A. Siefken, Peter M. McCarthy
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

StreamStats Channel Width Weighting Services

This software release contains Python functions for weighting multiple non-independent estimates of a variable. Weighting is determined by the standard error of prediction of each estimate and the correlation between the estimation methods. The methodology for weighting estimates from either two or three different methods is described in Chase and others (2020). A function is also included to han
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Peak Flow Frequency R Extensions Software Release

Siefken, S.A., McCarthy, P.M., 2021, Peak Flow Frequency R Extensions: U.S. Geological Survey Software Release, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5066/P99ETAVR

By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak Flow Frequency R EXtensions

R tools to assist with peak-flow frequency analysis using the USGS PeakFQ software.
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Flow-Conditioned Parameter Grid Tools

The Flow-Conditioned Parameter Grid (FCPG) Tools are a Python 3 library to make FCPGs for either two-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC2) regions, four-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC4) regions, or other geospatial tiling schemes. These tools can be used in a Linux-based high performance computing (HPC) environment or locally on your system.

By
Community for Data Integration (CDI), Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Science and Products

link
Kootenay River looking upstream from boat launch near Goat River, Creston, BC.

Developing CE-QUAL-W2 Models of the Kootenai River and Koocanusa Reservoir, Montana and Idaho

The construction and operation of Libby Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project located in northwestern Montana, has altered the natural hydrograph, thermal regime, sediment transport, and nutrient loadings on the Kootenai River. Dam operation impacts riverine ecosystem function and many fish species, including the federally endangered Kootenai River White Sturgeon and federally...
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
link

Developing CE-QUAL-W2 Models of the Kootenai River and Koocanusa Reservoir, Montana and Idaho

The construction and operation of Libby Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project located in northwestern Montana, has altered the natural hydrograph, thermal regime, sediment transport, and nutrient loadings on the Kootenai River. Dam operation impacts riverine ecosystem function and many fish species, including the federally endangered Kootenai River White Sturgeon and federally...
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States

The proposed work will create a seamless pilot dataset of continuous basin characteristics (for example upstream average precipitation, elevation, or dominant land cover type) for the conterminous United States. Basin characteristic data are necessary for training or parameterizing statistical, machine learning, and physical models, and for making predictions across the landscape, particularly in
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

Building a framework to compute continuous grids of basin characteristics for the conterminous United States

The proposed work will create a seamless pilot dataset of continuous basin characteristics (for example upstream average precipitation, elevation, or dominant land cover type) for the conterminous United States. Basin characteristic data are necessary for training or parameterizing statistical, machine learning, and physical models, and for making predictions across the landscape, particularly in
Learn More
link
Peak-flow measurement at Flathead River at Flathead, British Columbia

Peak-Flow Frequency Analysis for Selected Montana Streamgages

Peak-flow frequency information is needed for flood-plain mapping, design of highway infrastructure, and many other purposes across Montana. The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center has an ongoing project working to update peak-flow frequency estimates at USGS streamgages across the state.
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
link

Peak-Flow Frequency Analysis for Selected Montana Streamgages

Peak-flow frequency information is needed for flood-plain mapping, design of highway infrastructure, and many other purposes across Montana. The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center has an ongoing project working to update peak-flow frequency estimates at USGS streamgages across the state.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 16

Physical and Hydraulic Monitoring on the Yellowstone River Fish Bypass Channel, Montana, May 2022 to August 2023

This data release was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation to present the results of monitoring efforts on the Yellowstone River fish bypass channel according to the specifications of the Lower Yellowstone Adaptive Management and Monitoring Plan. The fish bypass channel was constructed to provide upstream migrating fish with a route around a d
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin, based on data through water year 2022

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected US
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Channel geometry for upstream and downstream cross sections at selected bridge sites in Montana, 2022

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), collected cross-section data on the upstream and downstream sides at 18 sites involving 20 bridges in Montana during the 2022 calendar year. The purpose of the data collection is to determine if scour and channel instability occur in the vicinity of the bridge structures. Data were processed, analyzed,
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Channel geometry for upstream and downstream cross sections at selected bridge sites in Montana, 2021

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), collected cross-section data on the upstream and downstream sides at selected bridges in Montana during the 2021 calendar year. The purpose of the data collection is to determine if scour and channel instability occur in the vicinity of the bridge structures. Data were processed, analyzed, and compiled
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in Dawson and Richland Counties, and the Powder River Basin, Montana, based on data through water year 2022

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected US
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Probability of Streamflow Permanence (PROSPER) output rasters, 1989-2021, upper Missouri River Basin (ver. 2.0, July 2024)

The PROSPER output rasters represent the estimates of probability of annual streamflow permanence produced by the PRObability of Streamflow PERmanence (PROSPER) model, for years 1989 through 2021, in the upper Missouri River basin and parts of the Great Basin, Upper Colorado River basin, and Pacific Northwest hydrographic regions of the United States. The PROSPER model is a raster-based empirical
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Cataloging and Digitizing USGS Indirect Measurements for Montana through Water Year 2020

In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, cataloged and scanned notes and calculations for indirect measurements taken during flood events in Montana. This product provides a publicly available catalog of the field notes, photos, survey information, and calculations for indirect measurements at selected sites.
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages on tributaries of the Bighorn, Tongue, and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, based on data through water year 2021

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected US
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near the Milk River Basin, Montana, based on data through water year 2018, part 2

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages on the Bighorn, Tongue, and Lower Yellowstone Rivers and tributaries and Home Creek, Montana, based on data through water year 2021

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near Teton County, Montana, based on data through water year 2019

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near Powell County, Montana, based on data through water year 2019

The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

June 2022 floods in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin

Extraordinary floods surged down the Yellowstone River and its tributaries in northwestern Wyoming and south-central Montana on June 13–15, 2022. During the flood, U.S. Geological Survey staff worked to maintain real-time data from streamgages by making field measurements of streamflow and repairing damaged equipment while communicating the latest streamflow information with the public and with lo
Authors
Katherine J. Chase, DeAnn Dutton, William B. Hamilton, Seth A. Siefken, Cassidy Vander Voort, Aroscott Whiteman
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, StreamStats

Yellowstone River fish bypass channel physical and hydraulic monitoring, Montana

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, began monitoring the Yellowstone River fish bypass channel according to the specifications of the Lower Yellowstone Adaptive Management and Monitoring Plan. The fish bypass channel was constructed to provide upstream migrating fish with a route around a diversion dam. The objective of this study is to monitor the physical a
Authors
J. Brooks Stephens, Jason S. Alexander, Seth A. Siefken
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Controlling skewness in MOVE3 peak-flow record extensions

Streamgage record extension methods such as the maintenance of variance Type 3 (MOVE3) method improve flood frequency estimates at a target streamgage by incorporating information from a nearby, hydrologically similar index streamgage. Bulletin 17C recommends using a variation of the MOVE3 method to estimate values at the target streamgage for only a subset of the available data at the index strea
Authors
Seth A. Siefken, Peter M. McCarthy
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

StreamStats Channel Width Weighting Services

This software release contains Python functions for weighting multiple non-independent estimates of a variable. Weighting is determined by the standard error of prediction of each estimate and the correlation between the estimation methods. The methodology for weighting estimates from either two or three different methods is described in Chase and others (2020). A function is also included to han
By
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Peak Flow Frequency R Extensions Software Release

Siefken, S.A., McCarthy, P.M., 2021, Peak Flow Frequency R Extensions: U.S. Geological Survey Software Release, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5066/P99ETAVR

By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Peak Flow Frequency R EXtensions

R tools to assist with peak-flow frequency analysis using the USGS PeakFQ software.
By
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

Flow-Conditioned Parameter Grid Tools

The Flow-Conditioned Parameter Grid (FCPG) Tools are a Python 3 library to make FCPGs for either two-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC2) regions, four-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC4) regions, or other geospatial tiling schemes. These tools can be used in a Linux-based high performance computing (HPC) environment or locally on your system.

By
Community for Data Integration (CDI), Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
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