streamgaging task force summary report advisory committee on water information herndon, virginia...

Streamgaging Task ForceSummary Report

Advisory Committee on Water Information

Herndon, Virginia

September 10, 2003

Advisory Committee on Water Information

Streamgaging Task Force

Commissioned by the ACWI in 1998.

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 ForceApproach

1. Identified goals of a national network 2. Compiled information on all available

streamgaging stations3. Evaluated the achievement of National goals

using the USGS network model4. Identified additional stations needed to achieve

each goal5. Recommended a core streamgaging network6. Proposed funding strategies

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 ForceFinal Report

• Submitted to ACWI on April 3, 2002• Chairman proposed a 30-day comment period

followed by a telephone conference call• Comments were received from League of

Women Voters, USDA, and Universities Council on Water Resources

• USGS provided comments in February 2003 and suggested several changes to the recommendations

Streamgaging Task ForceFinal Report Comments

League of Women Voters– Need adequate data for flood protection– Determine which agency Congress is most

likely to fund for the national streamgaging network

– Protect critical environmental areas

USDA-NRCS– Real-time data delivery


Universities Council on Water Resources– Cost of gages should be compared with

benefits– TMDL goal is high priority; difficult to

quantify– Real-time data delivery


USGS– All components of NSIP are equally

important– Network expenditures should not be restricted

to new stations and infrastructure costs when existing network is not stable

– Funding core network with multiple agencies is a flawed approach

Streamgaging Task ForceFinal Report Follow-up

• League of Women Voters, USDA, and UCOWR comments addressed by Chairs

• USGS comments were sent to Task Force members

• Responses received from AASG, ASFPM, and ICWP

• Clarifying statements added to final report

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[Larger network of HUC8 gages will support flood protection,

water quality and quantity management and other goals.]

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


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

[Data for critical environmental areas will be provided through the COOP program.]


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

Streamgaging Task ForceFunding and Related Strategies

Recommendation 4. – The USGS should implement the network components of NSIP in five years. [The report was revised to reflect the Task Force’s support for full funding of NSIP, however, the network should be emphasized in the initial years of the program.]

Recommendation 5. -- USGS and its’ cooperators should continue to seek increases in COOP.

• Restore historic 50:50 funding


Recommendation 6. -- Network components of NSIP should be implemented by using funding increases to support new or reactivated stations and infrastructure costs. [Report was revised to support the use of NSIP funds for existing stations when cooperator funds are lost and the stability of the network is affected.]


Recommendation 7. -- Each USGS District, in collaboration with its’ cooperators, should develop a streamgaging strategy, including a priority system for adding new stations.

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. [This includes real-time data delivery.]


Recommendation 9. -- USGS should continue cooperation with other Federal agencies. [This recommendation was intended for both the USGS and cooperating Federal agencies. USGS should fund the NSIP network; other Federal agencies should continue to support other components of the national streamgaging network]

Recommendation 10. – A similar network evaluation should be conducted in another 10 years.

Streamgaging Task ForceFinal Report

Task Force requests that the ACWI endorse the final report and take action on the appropriate recommendations.

streamgaging task force summary report advisory committee on water information herndon, virginia...

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