1. Stage-Storage Relationship
Texas A&M University

2. Stage-Storage Relationships
Water resource professionals often describe the “storage” of lakes and other bodies of water by the “stage”
Storage refers to the volume of water contained in the water body
Stage refers to the depth of water

3. Why Stage?
Direct volume measurements in these large, irregularly-shaped basins is difficult
Depth, or stage, is easy to measure using gages.
glaucus.org.uk

4. Stage-Storage Relationships
Volume is measured or estimated for each level of stage within a water body
The resulting graph is the stage-storage relationship or curve

5. Sample Stage-Storage Curve
Notice anything odd about this example?
bcn.boulder.co.us

6. Lavon Lake Date Elevation, ft Storage, ac-ft 10-26 489.96 414391 10-27
489.91
413394
10-28
489.87
412596
10-29
489.82
411601
swf-wc.usace.army.mil

7. Who Cares? Storage in lakes protects downstream areas from flooding
Lakes provide water to municipal areas
Provide recreation
swf-wc.usace.army.mil
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