Streamgaging Task Force Final 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 Policy U. S. Geological Survey American Association of State Geologists American Society of Civil Engineers American Water Resources Association Association of State Floodplain Managers Association of Western State Engineers Ground 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 Force Plan 1.Identify goals of a national network 2.Compile information on all available streamgaging stations 3.Evaluate achievement of National goals using the USGS network model 4.Identify additional stations needed to achieve each goal 5.Estimate cost of new or upgraded stations 6.Propose a long-term funding strategy 7.Submit recommendations to the ACWI

Streamgaging Task Force Concurrent 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 Force National 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 Force National Network Goals 8.Rivers with NPDES permits exceeding 10 MGD 9.Rivers with significant canoeing, kayaking and rafting 10.Rivers draining Federal lands 11.Major rivers with diversions 12.Inflow and outflow of major reservoirs 13.Rivers supporting migratory fish populations 14.Rivers used for commercial navigation

Network Model Network 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 Inactive Site Other Agency Site Proposed NSIP Site - 76 Total 9123 Gages Required, of which 3120 Existing Gages New Site

Summary of Requirements NWS and NRCS forecasting 3,373 Major river basins 384 Compacts and borders 538 Flow estimation and trends 849 Water-quality monitoring 209 NFIP communities 7,297 Impaired water quality 9,123 NPDES permits 2,116 River safety 4,350 Federal lands 89 Surface-water diversions 27 Reservoirs 1,526 Migratory fish habitat 296 Commercial navigation 208 Total individual requirements 30,631 Actual 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 Force Network Recommendations Recommendation USGS should adopt the following goals for NSIP: A.Support NWS and NRCS flow forecasting B.Monitor streamflow of hydrologic cataloguing units (8-digit HUCs) C.Support Compacts, Supreme Court decrees, and international border crossings D.Monitor long-term trends in streamflow with an expanded Hydrologic Benchmark Network

Streamgaging Task Force Network 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 Force Network Recommendations Recommendation 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 GOALACTIVEOTHER AGENCY INACTIVENEWTOTAL NWS AND NRCS 2, ,492 HUC 81, ,569 Compacts Hydrologic Benchmark Sum of Requirements 3, ,1081,3706,448 Stations needed 2, ,2855,197

NWS and NRCS Forecast Sites NWS NRCS Gages Active Inactive Other Agency Proposed NSIP Total 519 NRCS Gages Total 3127 NWS Gages New Site 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 Active Other Agency Inactive 38 - Proposed NSIP Station 786 out of 2,120 HUC8 areas without a streamgaging station that qualifies 1601 Stations shown, 816 New not shown Total 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 NSIP 52 Total NSIP Stations 138 Total Stations Total 138 HUC8’s

Compact and International Border Stations Active Other - 8 Streamgages Inactive - 3 New - 4 Total - 256

Physiographic Sections and Existing Benchmark Stations Benchmark stations Total Active Total Other Agency Total Inactive Total 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 Force Funding and Related Strategies Recommendation 4. – The USGS should implement the network components of NSIP in five years Recommendation USGS and its’ cooperators should continue to seek increases in COOP. Restore historic 50:50 funding

Streamgaging Task Force Funding and Related Strategies Recommendation Network components of NSIP should be implemented by using funding increases to support new or reactivated stations and infrastructure costs. Recommendation Each USGS District, in collaboration with its’ cooperators, should develop a streamgaging strategy, including a priority system for adding new stations.

Streamgaging Task Force Funding 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 USGS should continue cooperation with other Federal agencies. Recommendation 10. – A similar network evaluation should be conducted in another 10 years.