Conditions Affecting Flow

The purpose of this page is to provide information about what conditions might affect the flow near the gage.

Miles Above Mouth: This is the number of miles the gage is located above the mouth of the river.

Drainage Area: Enter the drainage area in square miles.

Pool Stage: This value represents a normal water pool elevation, if a gage is located on a navigable river with a lock and dam, or behind a low head dam. Most river gages will not have a pool stage, in which case this can be left blank.

Stream Bed: What is the streambed mainly composed of (i.e. sand, silt, rock, etc.)?

Regulation: What type of regulations (reservoirs/dams) are located upstream? It is helpful to mention the reservoir's capacity and operating plans to help determine their influence on the channel.

Diversion: What type of diversions are located along the channel (i.e. canals, irrigation, detention basins, bypasses, etc.)? If possible, a description of why and how water is diverted around the gage should be included.

Winter: What type of winter conditions is the channel subject to?

Topography: Describe the topography of both banks along the reach. This should include the topographical characteristics of the country side along the river/stream, not just the area around the gage.

Remarks: Mention any other information that is important to know about conditions which may influence a channel's flow. This would include information about the elevation of the low steel of bridges, cross section diagrams, as well as information about backwater.