Characteristics of U.S. Geological Survey discharge measurements for water year 1990

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Division (WRD) makes tens of thousands of stream discharge measurements each year throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Most of the measurements require the use of point velocity instrumentation. A survey of current-meter usage and discharge-measurement data for water year 1990 was undertaken to help evaluate the performance of existing instrumentation. The velocity, discharge, and depth ranges measured; the types of meters used; and the measurement problems encountered were surveyed. Survey respondents indicated vegetation as the most frequent cause of significant measurement error. Information from the survey quantifies the range of several common flow characteristics and measurement conditions for streams throughout the United States.