USGS to install gaging station in Weber River in Morgan

Morgan’s city council has given approval for the USGS and the Utah Water Science Center to install a gaging station in the Weber River at the Young Street Bridge (500 East Young Street) 

“A stream gage contains instruments that measure and record the amount of water flowing in the river or stream, or its discharge. Generally, these measurements occur automatically every 15 minutes or more frequently in times of flooding,” according to the USGS website.

The stream gage is comprised of an electronic data telemetry system, power supply, and a shelter to house the electronics, stage sensor, reference gage that is used to verify stage sensor readings, and crest stage gage to verify peak stage values, the USGS says.

The gages are expected to remain in place for five years unless the ISGS determines otherwise. The station will be visited every six weeks, possibly more often during flood season. “Additional visits are often made during periods of high and low flows to quantify impacts to the stage-discharge relationship due to scour, fill, vegetation growth, and/or other impacts to flow controls at the site,” the USGS says. Surveys are generally three to five years. Data is also available via the USGS National Water Dashboard, which is an interactive map viewer for accessing near real-time hydrologic data.

“One of the things I like about it is during flood seasons to have a gauge it’ll show up right on the map right as water enters town, so we’ll have a real accurate stream flow real time,” City Manager Ty Bailey told the city council at their Sept. 10 meeting.

The gaging equipment will be located to the side of the bridge on the riverbank, should have minimal impact and not interfere with the work the city is doing there, Bailey said. “So an amateur fly fisherman won't interfere with that, nor a professional, not under the bridge.”

The USGS operates a network of more than 9,000 stream gages nationwide with more than 150 in Utah. λ