streamgaging task force final report
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Streamgaging Task Force Final Report. Advisory Committee on Water Information Herndon, Virginia April 3, 2002. Advisory Committee on Water Information Streamgaging Task Force. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Streamgaging Task ForceFinal Report
Advisory Committee on Water Information
Herndon, Virginia
April 3, 2002
Advisory Committee on Water Information
Streamgaging Task Force
Charge: Determine the streamflow information needs of the Nation, identify the optimal streamgaging network to meet the needs, and prepare recommendations for funding responsibilities.
Streamgaging Task Force Members
Interstate Council on Water PolicyU. S. Geological SurveyAmerican Association of State GeologistsAmerican Society of Civil EngineersAmerican Water Resources AssociationAssociation of State Floodplain ManagersAssociation of Western State EngineersGround Water Protection Council
Streamgaging Task Force Members
Tennessee Valley Authority
Western States Water Council
Bureau of Reclamation
National Weather Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
Streamgaging Task ForcePlan
1. Identify goals of a national network 2. Compile information on all available streamgaging
stations3. Evaluate achievement of National goals using the
USGS network model4. Identify additional stations needed to achieve each
goal 5. Estimate cost of new or upgraded stations6. Propose a long-term funding strategy7. Submit recommendations to the ACWI
Streamgaging Task ForceConcurrent Activities
1. USGS developed their own plan for a National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP).
2. The Interstate Council on Water Policy was commissioned to conduct a series of four workshops on NSIP and considerations for a national streamgaging network.
Streamgaging Task ForceNational Network Goals
1. NWS and NRCS forecast points
2. Key river basins
3. River basin compacts and decrees and major river crossings of state, tribal, and international boundaries
4. Representative streams and rivers for flow estimation and long-term trends
5. National water-quality monitoring network streams
6. NFIP communities
7. Rivers with impaired water quality
Streamgaging Task ForceNational Network Goals
8. Rivers with NPDES permits exceeding 10 MGD9. Rivers with significant canoeing, kayaking and
rafting10. Rivers draining Federal lands11. Major rivers with diversions12. Inflow and outflow of major reservoirs13. Rivers supporting migratory fish populations14. Rivers used for commercial navigation
Network ModelNetwork Model• Conterminous U.S.• 60,000 streams (total 1M kilometers)• 329 river basins and 2,200 watersheds• NWS and NRCS sites• 21,600 NFIP communities• 303(d) file of impaired reaches• 60,000 NPDES permits• Reservoir inventory• Whitewater inventory• Water use by county and HUC• 20,000 streamflow stations
– 7,000 USGS active– 1,800 other agency stations– 440 new NSIP stations
Goal 7: Provide river discharge data for all watersheds that have impaired water quality
Metric:
• Operate a station on each RF1 river reach with impaired water
• Add additional stations to the same river only when the drainage area increases by 20 percent
Stream Reaches with Impaired Water Quality
Active Site - 1616Inactive Site - 1221Other Agency Site - 207Proposed NSIP Site - 76
Total 9123 Gages Required, of which 3120 Existing
Gages
New Site - 6003
Summary of Requirements
NWS and NRCS forecasting 3,373Major river basins 384 Compacts and borders 538 Flow estimation and trends 849 Water-quality monitoring 209NFIP communities 7,297Impaired water quality 9,123NPDES permits 2,116River safety 4,350Federal lands 89Surface-water diversions 27Reservoirs 1,526Migratory fish habitat 296Commercial navigation 208
Total individual requirements 30,631Actual number of stations required 18,330
Number of Goals Met By Proposed Network Stations (30,631 requirements; 18,330 stations)
1 Goal – 12,210 Sites
2 Goals – 4,170 Sites
3-4 Goals – 1,800 Sites
5-9 Goals – 149 Sites
Streamgaging Task ForceNetwork Recommendations
Recommendation 1. -- USGS should adopt the following goals for NSIP:
A. Support NWS and NRCS flow forecastingB. Monitor streamflow of hydrologic cataloguing units
(8-digit HUCs)C. Support Compacts, Supreme Court decrees, and
international border crossingsD. Monitor long-term trends in streamflow with an
expanded Hydrologic Benchmark Network
Streamgaging Task ForceNetwork Recommendations
Recommendation 2. – Use the COOP program and the watershed approach for meeting other streamflow information needs
• Establish new stations in HUC 10 watersheds based on local, state, and national needs
• 25 percent coverage of each HUC 8 watershed
Streamgaging Task ForceNetwork Recommendations
Recommendation 3. -- Stations providing flood data about communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program should have a high priority within the USGS COOP program.
• USGS and Federal Emergency Management Agency work with communities to establish a crest-stage gage network
Proposed NSIP Streamgaging Network
GOAL ACTIVE OTHER AGENCY
INACTIVE NEW TOTAL
NWS AND NRCS
2,070 262 726 434 3,492
HUC 8 1,097 167 379 926 2,569
Compacts 241 8 3 4 256
Hydrologic
Benchmark
120 5 0 6 131
Sum of Requirements
3,528 442 1,108 1,370 6,448
Stations needed
2,778 304 830 1,285 5,197
NWS and NRCS Forecast Sites
NWS NRCS GagesActiveInactiveOther AgencyProposed NSIP
234 153 36
2
2004 583 235 305
Total 519 NRCS GagesTotal 3127 NWS Gages
New Site 94
3373 Total Gages Required, 273 Gages Both NWS and NRCS
NWS Forecast Sites in Alaska
41- Active NSIP
27- Inactive NSIP
30 – New NSIP
98 Total Stations
Hydrologic Cataloguing Units
1056 - Active 167 - Other Agency 340 - Inactive 38 - Proposed NSIP Station
786 out of 2,120 HUC8 areas without a streamgaging station that qualifies
1601 Stations shown, 816 New not shownTotal 2417 Stations required to fully meet goal
Hydrologic Cataloguing Units in Alaska
81 HUC8s w/ Gage
57 HUC8s wo/ Gage
7 – Active non-NSIP
22- Inactive non-NSIP
57 – New non-NSIP (not shown)
20- Active NSIP
17- Inactive NSIP
15 – New NSIP52 Total NSIP Stations
138 Total Stations
Total 138 HUC8’s
Compact and International Border Stations
Active - 241
Other - 8
Streamgages
Inactive - 3New - 4
Total - 256
Physiographic Sections and Existing Benchmark Stations
Benchmark stationsTotal Active - 2690Total Other Agency - 304Total Inactive - 774Total New – 449, (817 not shown)
Total 75 Sections, Total 59 Benchmark stations.38 Sections w/ Benchmarks, 37 Sections w/ active stations
(Total 96 Streamgages in lower 48 Required)
Proposed Hydrologic Benchmark Stations
10- Active
5- Inactive
5 - New
Proposed NSIP Network for Hawaii
Proposed NSIP Network for Puerto Rico
13- Active NSIP
1- Inactive NSIP
3 – New NSIP
23- Active NSIP Stations
(St. Thomas, St. Johns St. Croix)
17 Total NSIP Stations
Streamgaging Task ForceFunding and Related Strategies
Recommendation 4. – The USGS should implement the network components of NSIP in five years
Recommendation 5. -- USGS and its’ cooperators should continue to seek increases in COOP.
• Restore historic 50:50 funding
Streamgaging Task ForceFunding and Related Strategies
Recommendation 6. -- Network components of NSIP should be implemented by using funding increases to support new or reactivated stations and infrastructure costs.
Recommendation 7. -- Each USGS District, in collaboration with its’ cooperators, should develop a streamgaging strategy, including a priority system for adding new stations.
Streamgaging Task ForceFunding and Related Strategies
Recommendation 8. – USGS should use NSIP infrastructure funds to verify and upgrade, if necessary, the quality and distribution of data from stations operated by other agencies.
Recommendation 9. -- USGS should continue cooperation with other Federal agencies.
Recommendation 10. – A similar network evaluation should be conducted in another 10 years.