Gauge and Safety Information
About River Gauges and Flow Information.
River level readings are collected by many government agencies from thousands of gauges located strategically on rivers throughout the United States. For decades, these readings and the resulting flow information have been used by professional weather forecasters, flood, irrigation and reservoir control centers and power generation dispatchers.
River gauges typically measure the water level against a rule-like scale. Readings will rise and fall with the river against this scale. The approximate flow in the river can be calculated if the shape of the river channel at the gauge and other pertinent conditions are known. WATERLINE makes it easy for you to get up-to-date information from these gauges while planning your recreational river adventures.
SAFETY
Some important points to remember about gauge and flow information:
A river gauge measures the surface elevation of the water within an established band of fluctuation. The resulting readings are only relative to each other and DO NOT tell you 'how deep the water is'.
Compare readings and flow information from one gauge site only with other information from that same site. The reading scales are unique to each gauge. There is no direct relationship between the readings, changes in readings, or the meaning of readings from one gauge to another. Flow information also has different implications at each site.
Gauge readings and calculated flows are only an indication of river conditions at the site. Readings and flow reports may not accurately reflect actual river conditions and conditions at other points on the river will be different.
River conditions can change quickly and without warning due to rainfall, power generation schedules, reservoir operations, ice, etc. WATERLINE reports may not reflect the influence of these factors.
The meaning of gauge readings and reported flows may change over time as river action alters the shape of the channel at the gauge.
All readings are provisional and subject to change!