NWDTW 2024

This training is in two parts: a morning classroom session and an afternoon hands-on session. The classroom portion will cover policy and procedures for running station levels found within the Techniques and Methods 3-A19 Levels at Gaging Stations as well as proper documentation within SVMobileAQ and SLAP. The hands-on session will include students using the digital instrument, reading the rod optically, running a short circuit to completion, and the proper way to level in reference and auxiliary gages; this portion will be outdoors or indoors depending upon weather conditions so plan accordingly. Students will need to bring their computers and have SVMobileAQ loaded onto them.

In addition to USGS products such as the USGS Water Watch and the National Water Dashboard, the presenters will provide an update on other “Event Monitoring” resources such as the Flood Event Viewer, Flood Inundation Mapper, Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System and the Real-time Flood Impact Map.

During large, short-term events, the USGS collects streamflow and additional data (including storm tide, wave height, high-water marks, and additional data) to aid in documenting flood events. The USGS Flood Event Viewer provides convenient, map-based access to downloadable event-based data. In 2022, the USGS Flood Event Viewer is available for the following events: During the 2022 Hurricane Season, the Flood Event Viewer is available for several notable flood events such July Kentucky Flood, September Alaska Extratropical Cyclone, and Hurricane Ian.

USGS Flood Inundation Maps, along with Internet information regarding current stage from the USGS streamgage, provide emergency management personnel and residents with information that is critical for flood-response activities, such as evacuations and road closures, as well as for post-flood recovery efforts. The Flood Inundation Mapper allows users to explore the full set of inundation maps that shows where flooding would occur given a selected stream condition. Users can also access historical flood information and potential loss estimates based on the severity of the flood. The FIM Mapper helps communities visualize potential flood scenarios, identify areas and resources that may be at risk, and enhance their local response effort during a flooding event.

Many USGS water-resource monitoring sites have webcams installed to allow remote visibility of current water and environmental conditions, identify technical issues, verify remote measurements, and gather data for visual analyses. The Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) provides access to still-frame images and timelapse videos from our active webcams. Many sites also pair recent still-frame images to an interactive hydrograph.

USGS Real-time Flood Impact map displays “Flood Impact Locations” where the USGS has measured the height of critical safety or infrastructure features that may be vulnerable to flood impacts. Some examples of Flood Impact Locations include stream and river embankments; roads and bridges; pedestrian paths; buildings; and more. Flood Impact Locations are surveyed and associated with a nearby USGS real-time streamgage. When the streamgage water level (gage height) exceeds the Flood Impact Location’s surveyed height, its icon will display on the map, showing that this location may be currently flooded. When the user clicks on the icon, a pop-up will display the current gage height and the Flood Impact Location height, so that the user can compare how close that location is to the current water level. Some Flood Impact Locations may be measured below the level of actual flooding to provide an early warning that flooding may be imminent. Although the mapper is not a flood warning system, it can be used to convey immediate flood risks by showing the locations where flooding may be currently or soon occurring. The USGS has over 10,000 streamgages nationwide in the continental U.S. and U.S. territories. Please note that flood impacts have not been collected at all USGS streamgages. Additional Flood Impact Locations will continue to be added. If you would like to add Flood Impact Locations at or near existing USGS streamgages in your Water Science Center, please refer to Alternative Way of Delivering USGS Streamgage Data (Ver 6).pdf or contact Julia Prokopec, Lauren Privette, or Athena Clark.

One day you're using cool tools in the field, the next day you are a field office chief or data chief being asked to do the no fun business aspects of the job. Funding gaging networks is a complicated business including: gaging costs, cooperator negotiations, agreement signatures, accounting, and budgeting. The USGS WMA has several tools including Site Funding Tracking Application (SiFTA) to assist with and standardize these business operations. Several tools and workflows will be presented as a short introduction to managing the funding aspects of gage operations. Target audience is current and prospective field office chiefs / data chiefs and LDMs.

This is an overview of the USGS Storm-Tide Monitoring Program. The topics discussed will be the history of the program, data collection and dissemination of the data. There will also be a discussion on new sensors and technologies.

Overview of the cause and effect of a moving bed and methods to identify and correct for a moving bed when measureing discharge with and ADCP from a moving boat.

Planning and prep tips to improve data collection during high flow events.

In our NWDTW in Phoenix last year, we held an "unconference" listening session on non-contact and remote sensing-related work in USGS. This session was valuable for helping steer work over the next several months. We plan to hold another listening session with NWDTW attendees to hear your current successes, pain points, blockers, or visionary ideas directly from you. Come and participate in this open format discussion and help guide how we continue to leverage and grow Imagery and Remote Sensing science at USGS.

Utilizing the newest sonar technology allows river sampling teams to greatly enhance their capability to view a sampler track during deployment. This essential tool allows the sampler operator to visualize in real-time, the ascending and descending location of the sampler throughout the water column. The active sonar screen information provides a clear side perspective of not only the position of the moving sampler, but upstream and downstream moving bed forms. During high water events which produce higher velocities, and increased depths, sampler cable payouts tend to differ from actual water depths due to drag on the tether cables and samplers. This unwanted effect can misinform operators of the sampler’s actual depth. Using Live Scope sonar technology greatly enhances an operator’s capability to deploy a sampler to precise depths and therefore avoiding unwanted bed contact or hazards.

In response to the damage incurred due to recent extreme rainfall events, as well as the likely increasing frequency of such events due to global climate change, cities across the Nation are developing plans to prepare for future flash flood events. In 2021, the USGS, as part of the Next Generation Water Observing System, began installing a stormwater monitoring network in the cities of Madison, WI and Harwood Heights, IL. Part of this effort includes a vast network of LoRa-enabled sensors used to measure water levels in storm drains, pipes, and channels in areas that have a history of frequent flooding. While this effort was originally designed to facilitate calibration and validation of hydrologic models, it has since been revised to explore the potential to use this network as an early urban flood detection and warning system to city officials.

In the summer of 2023, multiple storm fronts passed through both Madison and Harwood Heights, creating flash flood events throughout the city. This presentation will highlight the performance of the flood detection and warning network for those events and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet-of-things compared to more traditional means of data collection and dissemination.

The California Water Science Center’s Estuarine Hydrodynamics team has been utilizing autonomous, un-crewed surface vessels (USVs) to conduct ADCP and bathymetric surveys throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (the Delta). These vessels have become an invaluable tool. They reduce human-error by performing consistent, repeatable transects that have constant boat speeds, straight paths, and consistent starting and ending locations.
Using USVs certainly comes with some considerations. Users should consider transect locations (large, small, open, covered), navigational hazards (pilings, buoys, docks, debris, shipping lanes), sea and weather conditions (wind chop), potential for compass interference, and power.
After these considerations, the use of USVs has improved data collection and increased efficiency allowing for multiple cross-sections simultaneously without extra personnel.

The USGS, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, has upgraded 23 groundwater monitoring wells in Massachusetts from discrete to continuous real time monitoring in the past three years, with plans for additional upgrades to the network in the coming years. The climate response network (CRN) status was also evaluated and updated for all groundwater monitoring wells. This presentation will describe methods of this network analysis including 1) computer tools used in a preliminary desktop analysis, 2) field evaluation of groundwater wells, including temporary data collection and well integrity assessments, and 3) installation of the real time groundwater monitoring equipment. Next steps and future opportunities for this long-term groundwater monitoring network will also be highlighted. Gain insights into evaluating your own networks!

The salt dilution method is a global, time-tested approach for measuring streamflow. It is achieved by adding a known mass of sodium chloride (NaCl) to a stream, allowing it to mix through a reach, and measuring NaCl dilution via changes in specific conductance. A vast majority of USGS streamflow measurements rely on velocity-area methods, which depend on quasi-laminar flow where accuracy of measurements across the channel can be degraded in turbulent conditions. The salt dilution method is ideal for measuring turbulent streams, but the method is seldomly used by the USGS. With support from the SAWSC Science Advancement & Program Development Challenge, the salt dilution method was tested in diverse streams throughout North Carolina and Georgia. The method proved effective at many of the streams with turbulent characteristics such as bends, steep gradients or other features that encourage lateral mixing. Additionally, recent advancements in field instrumentation for measuring salt dilution via changes in specific conductance have reduced the mass of NaCl required in the stream and allow for real-time streamflow and uncertainty calculations. The project concluded that USGS programs could consider it as a reliable option at difficult-to-measure, turbulent streams. This presentation will introduce the salt dilution method to those unfamiliar with it. The audience will (1) learn to recognize site conditions favorable as well as those unfavorable for the salt dilution method, (2) learn salt dilution calculation theory, and (3) learn the basic salt dilution measurement field processes developed and assessed during the SAWSC Science Advancement & Program Development Challenge.

The NYWSC Observing Systems Division Troy office is testing the use of on-hand conductivity probes to measure stream discharge utilizing salt dilution methodology. Salt dilution is a well-researched technique in academic fields but thus far has not been widely used within the USGS. Currently, USGS offices in the Southeast Region are testing the use of specialized systems that have demonstrated accuracy but may pose a financial barrier to their wider adoption. By utilizing conductivity probes that may be readily available to hydrographers these financial barriers can be circumnavigated while maintaining accuracy. Demonstrating that on-hand equipment can be used to make reliable salt dilution measurements adds an accessible tool for hydrographers to collect the highest quality data at sites and conditions where traditional methods fall short.

All methods of taking groundwater-level measurements have uncertainty associated with them, and these uncertainties can be numerous and compounded. Uncertainty sources can be the instrument used for measuring the groundwater level, the equipment used to validate the measured groundwater level, conditions in and near the well, environmental conditions, and even the person measuring the water level. Variables that can affect uncertainty can include temperature, measurement depth, tape stretching or other irregularities like kinks, and well access and construction. Some sources of uncertainty are identified and quantified through testing and laboratory analysis however, some uncertainty can be subjective and require a hydrographers best judgement when in the field. In this brief presentation, various sources and variables of uncertainty will be presented with a discussion to follow on other experiences with uncertainty in groundwater-level data collection.