Streamflow Information for the Next Century
Streamflow Information for the Next Century

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13:

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Since 1889, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has operated a multipurpose streamgaging network supported primarily by other Federal, State, and local agencies. Streamgaging stations are the monitoring tools used to track the flux of water and associated components in streams and rivers across the Nation. Streamflow data from them are used for planning and decisions related to agriculture, industry, urban water supplies, navigation, riverine and riparian habitat, and flood hazard identification. The principles that have guided this national network are: " Many partners contribute funding for the operation of gaging stations to collaboratively achieve Federal mission goals and the individual goals of the funding agencies." All data are freely available to all partners and the public." USGS operates the network on behalf of all partners to achieve economy and standardization of availability and quality of data. These goals remain appropriate and applicable today. However, the multipurpose streamgaging network needs increased resources and reorientation because of deficiencies in the present network to meet Federal goals, changing instrumentation and communication technology, and new opportunities to integrate our streamflow data with information from other Federal agencies.

Assessing the National Streamflow Information Program
Assessing the National Streamflow Information Program

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-09-19

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 0309092108

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From warning the public of impending floods to settling legal arguments over water rights, the measurement of streamflow ("streamgaging") plays a vital role in our society. Having good information about how much water is moving through our streams helps provide citizens with drinking water during droughts, control water pollution, and protect wildlife along our stream corridors. The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) streamgaging program provides such information to a wide variety of users interested in human safety, recreation, water quality, habitat, industry, agriculture, and other topics. For regional and national scale streamflow information needs, the USGS has created a National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP). In addition to streamgaging, the USGS envisions intensive data collection during floods and droughts, national assessments of streamflow characteristics, enhanced information delivery, and methods development and research. The overall goals of the program are to: meet legal and treaty obligations on interstate and international waters, support flow forecasting; measure river basin outflows, monitor sentinel watersheds for long-term trends in natural flows, and measure flows for water quality needs. But are these the right topics to collect data on? Or is the USGS on the wrong track? In general, the book is supportive of the design and content of NSIP, including its goals and methodology for choosing stream gages for inclusion in the program. It sees the ultimate goal of NSIP as developing the ability to use existing data-gathering sites to generate streamflow information with quantitative confidence limits at any location in the nation. It is just as important to have good measurements during droughts as during floods, and it therefore recommends supporting Natural Resource Conservation Service forecast sites in addition to those of the National Weather Service.

The Earth Remains Forever
The Earth Remains Forever

Author: Rob Jackson

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2010-07-05

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0292788649

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Writing especially for people who've tuned out the environmental debate, Rob Jackson persuasively argues that we're at a crucial turning point in environmental history, where choices we make now will determine the quality of life into the unforeseeable future. Laying out the scientific facts in plain language and with flashes of humor, he shows how the escalation of population growth and resource consumption in the twentieth century caused problems from ozone depletion to global warming, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. At the same time, however, he highlights ongoing solutions to these problems and ways in which we can create a sustainable future for subsequent generations and all life on earth. His urgent message is not that we've already failed, but that we can succeed.