Irrigators, recreationists, public safety officials, and other water users rely on stream gauges to measure a stream’s condition. Gauges provide the basis for many water use decisions across Montana–when to turn water into fields, when to store water, when to fish or float, or when to stop using water.
Montana’s streams and rivers host to hundreds of stream gauges, such as: more than 200 gauges installed and (mostly) maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey, 60 real-time and seasonal gauges of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and 82 stations of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Other federal agencies, power companies, and water users groups also pitch in.
But a stream gauge can measure more than flow. A gauge can also take water temperature, alerting wildlife officials when certain species are at risk. A real-time gauge can flag suddenly increasing river levels, perhaps prompting sheriff’s deputies to evacuate a campground prone to flooding.
These examples are highlighted in a story map recently produced by the Montana DNRC. The story map is part of an effort of the Stream Gauge Working Group, which was created by 2019 Legislature after the Water Policy Interim Committee recognized “it is in the public interest to support and encourage coordination in the collection and distribution of stream flow information.”
The working group–with input from WPIC–has these priorities:
- Review the locations, uses, and funding arrangements for the USGS stream gauge network
- Review priorities, needs, and expectations of those funding the maintenance and operations of these stream gauges and those using data measured by these stream gauges
- Create an annual stream gage infrastructure work plan
Progress on these priorities will be a topic at a future WPIC meeting.
(Photo: Gauge on Sun River at Simms. (USGS))
