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The River Gauges
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Opportunity:
Many of the most popular runs in the Southeast US either don't have
online gauges (Big Creek, Big Laurel Creek, Doe Gorge, North Fork of
the French Broad, West Prong of the Little Pigeon, Wilson Creek,
etc.), or have online gauges located well downstream of the reaches
of most interest to paddlers (Nolichucky Gorge, Little River, etc.).
Other runs have optimally located online gauges, but the gauges are
so new we don't know what they are telling us (Cheoah, Cullasaja,
Daddy's Creek, etc.). Good online flow gauging information
would make it easier for paddlers to find rivers and creeks to run,
and would spread use across a wider number of rivers and creeks,
reducing the pressure on the most popular runs.
Solution:
Create a series of virtual gauges, based on rainfall and flow levels
in related watersheds. The starting point for these virtual
gauges will be the rules of thumb paddlers have developed over the
years, but they will be refined through systematic data collection
and statistical analysis (linear regression). |
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Where you come in:
| 1. |
Every time you run (or drive past!) a
river or creek in the Southeast US, record the visual
gauge level, time, date, and your
impression of the level: too low, low, moderate,
high, too high. Be as exacting as you can (time to the
minute if possible, etc.). When you get home e-mail
this information to me: Gauge
Report. Note #1:
the statistical techniques I'll be using have the best chance
to do their job for us the more data we have, including data
on levels that are too high or too low to run. Send
me all your data, including data from the days you got
skunked!!! Note #2: I
am looking for data on every river and creek in the US,
including those that have well-known gauges in optimal
locations and those not included on the Asheville Area Boating
Beta Page. I'll use the impressions of the levels (too
low, low, moderate, high, too high) to refine the descriptions
of the runs on my page; and over time I expect to add
additional runs to my page. So . . . send me your
observations every time you run (or drive past!) a river or
creek in the Southeast US! |
| 2. |
If you keep a river log and have past data on
levels and times, contact me. I'll be able to use past
data IF you kept accurate level and time records, if I can
obtain archived rainfall and flow information, and if riverbed
changes haven't rendered the data obsolete. |
| 3. |
For every useable observation (a level, a time,
a date, and your impression of the level) I'll hold a raffle
ticket in your name. If you record this information
twice (before your run and after), you'll receive two tickets,
etc. Every time I receive 100 usable observations, I'll
randomly select a raffle ticket, award a prize, and the
process will start over again. The prizes I have been
able to solicit to date include rescue knives, throw ropes,
dry bags and $50 gift certificates. In other words, they
are worth your time! |
| 4. |
I will use the data you collect to create
statistical flow models for rivers and creeks without their
own online gauges. These models will predict flow levels based
on rainfall and flows in related watersheds. If a river
or creek has an online gauge but no information on how to
interpret the levels, I'll use your observations to correlate
flows with paddling levels. |
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Help sponsor this project:
There are a number of ways you can help The River Gauges Project:
as a data contributor, as a financial donor, and as a prize donor.
All contributors will receive public recognition (unless they chose
to remain anonymous), and in some cases, more. Contact
The
River Gauges Project (email link) to donate or for additional
information.
| 1. |
Data contributor |
Contributes data and receives
raffle tickets as described above. Name listed on Contributor
Page. If contributes 30 useable observations (a
level, a time, a date, and your impression of the level) or
more, receives a copy of The Paddler's GIS Disk™
(described below). |
| 2. |
Individual donor |
Donates money to support this web
site and project. If donates $10 or more in a calendar
year, name listed on Contributor
Page. If donates $30 or more in a calendar year,
receives a copy of The Paddler's GIS Disk™
(described below). |
| 3. |
Business donor (cash) |
Donates money to support this web
site and project. If donates $30 or more in a calendar
year, name listed on Contributor
Page. If donates $100 or more in a calendar year,
receives right to place logo linked to donor's web page on Contributor
Page. |
| 4. |
Business donor (gift certificates) |
Donates money to support this web
site and project. If donates one $50 gift certificate or
more in a calendar year, name listed on Contributor
Page. If donates three $50 gift certificates or more
in a calendar year, receives right to place logo linked to
donor's web page on Contributor
Page. Use of the gift certificates is at the
discretion of the The Asheville Area Boating Beta Page / River
Gauges Project, but ordinarily will be distributed as prizes
in the data collection raffle. |
| 5. |
Business donor (merchandise) |
Donates merchandise to support this
web site and project. If donates $90 in merchandise or
more in a calendar year (retail value), name listed on Contributor
Page. If donates $300 in merchandise or more in a
calendar year (retail value), receives right to place logo
linked to donor's web page on Contributor
Page. Use of the donated merchandise is at the
discretion of the The Asheville Area Boating Beta Page / River
Gauges Project, but ordinarily will be distributed as prizes
in the data collection raffle. |
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The
Paddler’s GIS Disk™:
A Geographic Information System is a mapping software that allows
users to combine layers of information about places. The
Paddler's GIS Disk is a CD-ROM containing two GIS data viewers, a
data viewer utility, and a set of GIS layers of special interest to
paddlers. With a viewer and a set of layers you can create
maps of the rivers of any region in the US, add the USGS stream
gauges to the map, add the USFS and NPS lands, add the roads and
highways, etc. The data viewers and viewer utility included on
The Paddler’s GIS Disk are provided under license from Environmental
Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI). To obtain a copy
of The Paddler's GIS Disk contribute either $30 or 30 useable
observations (a level, a time, a date, and your impression of the
level; I'll keep track of the number of observations you have
sent me over the months or years) to The
River Gauges Project (email link). |
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