Published: September 26, 2008 08:35 am      

Stream gauging could end without federal funding

System, in place for decades, helps provide water conditions

CUMBERLAND — As was the case in 2004, federal budget cuts threaten the existence of long-standing U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges that have monitored flow and water quality for decades, according to Jim Jeffries of that agency’s local field office.

Information on the agency’s Web site, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/ nwis/rt, announces that as of Tuesday, the end of the current federal fiscal year, no new data will be collected at the following gauges:

• North Branch Potomac, Kitzmiller, recording for 28 years.

• North Branch, Barnum, 28 years.

• Savage River, upstream of reservoir, 60 years.

• North Branch, Luke, 23 years.

• North Branch, Pinto, 70 years.

• Potomac River, Hancock, 76 years.

“The one that concerns me the most is the gauge on the Savage River upstream from the dam,” Jeffries said. “With the problems at the dam, they may have to drain it to fix the gates and you think (the Upper Potomac River Commission) would want to know how much water is flowing into the reservoir.”

The bulk of the money to pay the average of $13,400 annually to operate a gauge comes through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, though other cooperators, including Maryland agencies such as highways, natural resources and environment, contribute as well.

Jeffries’ educated guess, or at least his hope, is that Congress will quickly pass a continuing resolution to operate the federal government at the same financial level as this current fiscal year and then pass a formal budget after the presidential election.

“I’m going to keep running our gauges until I have to shut them down, though the information may no longer be available on the Internet,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries said should the gauge at Hancock be discontinued, the nearest upstream monitoring to the mouth of the Shenandoah River would be at Paw Paw, W.Va.

“There is a lot of water that comes into the Potomac downstream from Paw Paw that wouldn’t be gauged,” Jeffries said, referring to the Cacapon on the West Virginia side and numerous streams on the Maryland side such as Antietam.

The USGS, on its Web site, tells users who can contribute to funding to contact Jim Gerhart at (443)498-5501 (jgerhart@usgs.gov).

Sgt. Ken Turner of the Maryland Natural Resources Police said a lack of river flow conditions online will change the way his agency determines when to announce river advisories that let users know that they face liquid danger.

“We use the water flow information on the Internet on a regular basis,” Turner said. “This past spring is a good example, when we put out numerous river advisories.”

The advisories warn river users that levels are high enough to create life-threatening circumstances for nonwhitewater vessels, tubers, swimmers or wading fishermen.

“If the flow levels are no longer available on the Internet, we will check the river the old-fashioned way — that is send an officer to a boat ramp,” Turner said.

Many boat ramps have color-coded markings used in pre-Internet days that indicate whether a certain level is safe, one that requires caution or one that requires avoidance.

“We will continue to provide public safety in the best way we can,” Turner said.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.