msamatt

Guys, I haven't spent too much time looking at this data yet; however, the National Weather Service collections all sorts of Climate data including (no suprise here) data about rainfall. If you go to the Climatology and Weather Records page at the NWS St. Louis' website: http://www.weather.gov/lsx/cli_archive you'll find all sorts of data including Monthly Rainfall and Seasonal Totals which starts with data from 1836/37. The NWS Springfield website also provides some good data sets: http://www.weather.gov/sgf/climate_records_normals There's a very succinct summary of this past weekend here: http://www.weather.gov/sgf/28-30AprilHistoricFloodingEvent If you look at the "rainfall" tab you'll see the storm total rainfall reports covering Friday through Sunday. Pretty darn incredible amounts of rainfall in a short amount of time!!

Forgot to attach the .pdf list of the threatened gages so here goes Threatened USGS Streamgage List-Missouri 2017.pdf

Guys, Matt Wier from the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance here. I apologize in advance for the rather lengthy post which follows but I having recently participated as a stakeholder group which was involved in the process of helping re-fund one of the two gauges the Big Piney and Roubidoux Creek I have some very detailed and relevant info to share. Part One: Here's an exceprt from an email between myself and C. Shane Barks who is the Deputy Director for the USGS Water Science Center in Rolla. I was corresponding with him in order to invite him to be a guest speaker at our March meeting in St. Louis and am sharing it with you now because he answers some of the very questions you've asked. I've put the cost of operating a single streamgauge in BOLD "I believe I have corresponded with you in the past, but it has been awhile. Here is a brief description of what goes into the operation and maintenance of a streamgage. To be most efficient, the streamgages are grouped into geographical areas we call "trips". These trips are "ran" where each streamgage on the trip are visited at set intervals depending on trip location. Do to the environment of the location of the trips and to ensure the appropriate quality of the data, some of the trips require more frequent visits (every 4 weeks) while other trips require less frequent visits (every 8 weeks). During the site visit the hydrographer will inspect the equipment used at the streamgage to make sure it is working properly and collecting accurate data. The data are typically collected at 15-minute intervals and transmitted hourly via satellite to the USGS office. If there is a rain gage located at the site, it is inspected, cleaned, and at times calibrated. A streamflow or discharge measurement is made at each site during the visit. Additional site visits are made as needed throughout the year to troubleshoot and repair equipment, and to make discharge measurements during ranges of flow that are not experienced during routine visits such as storm events. In the office, the real-time data are reviewed each morning to ensure the streamgages are working properly. If a problem is suspected, then a hydrographer is sent to the site to troubleshoot and restore the equipment. After each trip, the data records for each site are worked, checked, reviewed and approved. During this process the discharge measurements are matched with the corresponding stage reading and used to develop stage/discharge relationship or discharge rating. After this relationship is developed, discharge measurements continue to be made to validate the rating or shift the rating to account for hydraulic changes that take place at the site. The ratings are used to compute incremental streamflows at each site. These data are made available to water-resource managers and the public through the internet (http://waterdata.usgs.gov). The price of the streamgage operation and maintenance is determined on a cost-averaged basis for the whole network in the state. Part of the reason this is done is to cover the cost of replacing equipment at a gage or to make extra measurements at a site when needed without having to go back to cooperators and request additional funding. Currently the annual cost for operating a streamgage is $14,600. The largest expense in the cost is labor (time in the field and office). The next largest expense is equipment. The equipment maintained on site at the individual streamgages can cost over $15,000 and a typical set of equipment used to make discharge measurements cost around $45,000. Other expenses include travel cost, vehicle and boat cost, equipment repair, supplies, IT (infrastructure, database maintenance, hardware and software, access to satellite network,...) and other. The USGS does receive some appropriated funds to operate streamgages, but not nearly enough to cover the streamgage network needed to meet the water-resources data needs in Missouri. In-order to fund the needed network, the USGS is currently partnering with over 20 different cooperators in the state. We strive to operate the network as efficiently as possible in-order to keep the cost down and make the best use of all funds......" Part 2: Here's the body of an email I received last night from Amy Beussink, who is the Director of the USGS Water Science Center in Missouri. Dear Stakeholder, The USGS Missouri Water Science Center operates over 270 real-time streamgages in the State of Missouri. ­­Most of the funding required for continued operation and maintenance of this network is provided through cooperative funding partnerships between the USGS and many local, state, federal, and other entities. I am writing to let you know that current funding for 49 USGS gages in Missouri will end June 30, 2017. Unless other funding sources are identified, the information from these gages will no longer be available. The attached table lists the gages in question as well as details related to each site. The information provided by streamgages is used widely for many purposes, including management of the State’s water resources; protection of life and property from floods and droughts, flood plain management and regulation, agricultural operations, drinking water management; power plant operation; irrigation withdrawals; timing of wastewater discharges and reservoir releases; managing water quality and habitat; and infrastructure designs for dams, levees, bridges, and roads; and for recreation. Historical data are useful for long-term assessments such as water-supply studies, while real-time data is essential for activities that require rapid decisions, such as the issuing of flood warnings and flood crest predictions by the National Weather Service and the evacuations of persons in flood-prone areas. We are reaching out to ask for your assistance. Please contact us if you or someone you know may be able to help to fund these important sites beginning July 1, 2017. Also, please spread the word to other interested stakeholders who may be able to provide funding or who may be able to garner additional support. A map of USGS streamgage funding stability for the nation can be viewed here: https://water.usgs.gov/networks/fundingstability/ For more information, please contact: Paul Rydlund, prydlund@usgs.gov, 573-308-3572 Shane Barks, csbarks@usgs.gov, 573-308-3674 Amy Beussink, ambeussi@usgs.gov, 573-308-3665 Very respectfully, amy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amy Beussink, Director USGS Missouri Water Science Center ambeussi@usgs.gov Office 573-308-3665 Mobile 713-560-9899 http://mo.water.usgs.gov/

Gentlemen, congratulations on taking this step. Thanks for helping us start 2017 with a great meeting in St. Louis. I shot some video with my phone but haven't had time to take a look at it yet. Will share it with you if its any good (the presentation was great but the video quality may be crummy. I'll work on that this weekend). Thanks, Matt

Guys I'm sharing an update I received from Sam Potter who attended the meeting in Waynesville on Monday. Here is the skinny on the meeting today: Meeting attended by several outfitters, members of USGS, DNR, MDC, Pulaski County Engineer, City of Waynesville, NWS , RFFA and myself. Not present Corp of Engineers and US Army Everyone was in agreement that all four of the proposed gages are necessary, but there is insufficient funding for them to continue after the 1st of the year. At present the four gages are funded by the US Army at FLW. They will no longer be funded by the Army after the 1st. Cost to operate one gage for one year that includes CFS monitoring is $14,600 Cost to operate one gage for one year, flow only is $5,200. (height in feet) Most of the attendees agreed that while it is great to have the CFS monitored it isn’t necessary to determine water level safety, especially considering the cost involved. USGS funding for gages is often paid for by private enterprises and sometimes in partnership with DNR, MDC and others that have an interest in the particular gage involved. The city of Waynesville will partially fund (partner with) gage or gages on the Roubidoux Creek. Undisclosed amount, but I think it was 50% MDC has an interest in the Ross Bridge gage (upper gage above FLW) on the Big Piney and will partner funding for it. Possibly the lower gage on the Roubidouix. The lower Big Piney gage (below FLW) is a Federal Priority Streamgage (FPG) and is eligible to be funded with USGS appropriations if additional FPS funds become available. At our Roubidouix Fly Fishers (RFFA) meeting next week I will propose that we partner with a gage. We are a small fishing club so we can’t fork out too much, but some is better than none. I am pushing the upper gage on the Big Piney, but may have to settle on the lower gage if USGS can only come up with enough money for one gage. See Attachments from the meeting today for more information. You can contact: Amy M Beussink for more information. Email ambeussi@usgs.gov 573-308-3665 cell 713-560-9899 USGS Missouri Water Science Center Sam Sam Potter Ozark Fly Fishing Guide www.TightLine.biz Outdoor & Sports Photography www.TightLine.IFP3.com 573-465-3556 “A Bad Day Fishing Is Still A Great Day”

Hey Guys, there's a discussion about this on the smallmouth forum as well.

Phil, thanks for sharing that with us. I received a very similar response and copied it into an announcement I sent to the folks on my mailing list (including you) yesterday. Greasy B sums up my reason for starting this topic in the first place when he writes " Though I use the gages for every trip there are far more important reasons for them than my convenience." I also agree with Al that the two gauges on the Piney are somewhat redundant and if we had to lose one we'd still have the data from the other. I'd prefer to lose neither. So, I encourage you to please, in addition to enjoying the lively ongoing debate about the many inefficiencies and shortcomings of our governmental systems, contact both Mr. Rydlund, Mr. Bacon and your state and federal legislators and express your interest in having these gauges to remain in service. Thanks, Matt

Folks, There are only 2 USGS gauges on the Big Piney (06930000 Big Piney River near Big Piney, MO and 06930060 Big Piney River below Ft. Leonard Wood). They may discontinue streamgauge data collection activities in the new year (see below). Please write to Mr. Rydlund. NOTICE: Streamgage data collection activities may be discontinued at this location on January 1, 2017, due to lack of funding. For inquiries concerning this streamgage, contact Paul Rydlund at prydlund@usgs.gov or 573-308-3572.

Al, Great report! Glad you had some time to get out into the healing waters. My wife and I got together with Rick Werner and his wife last night and they are praying for you both. Was your Oscoda glass canoe made in South Carolina? One of our older members donated his really nice 16' tandem to us about a month ago and we're giving it to one of our members who is a biology teacher and takes his H.S. on float trips. .

Al, my thoughts and prayers are with you and Mary.

Thanks Norm. Gene was a fine person. If all of us did just half of what he did...

Folks: I'm writing to share some news about the passing of Gene Denzel. He was an inspiration to all of us who knew him. While most of us talk a lot of, to paraphrase Smalliebigs "Shiot" Gene quietly walked the talk and just got things done. If you're the praying kind, please say a prayer for Gene and his family. Thankfully, Stream Teams throughout our state are started and sustained by lots of men and women who just like Gene do the work because it needs to be done. We miss you Gene. Click here for a more complete memorial

Norm: I always love reading your reports. Your love for river fishing comes through loud and clear, especially given the time of year and your location!! I love your ability to challenge received wisdom through experimentation and observation. Thanks again sir.

Just make sure that jock strap doesn't have more buoyancy than your pfd or you just might be in trouble

Humans are indeed funny. One man's trash is another's treasure. I live in South St. Louis City and several years ago the city decided add a large large recycling dumpster to the collection of garbage and yard waste dumpsters in our alleys. Prior to that my wife and I would gather all of our recycleables in different bins and haul them to a local park where we would chuck them in the appropriate dumpsters. The new recycling dumpsters are certainly more convenient for the most part. All I have to do is walk out my back door, past my garage, turn left, walk 20 feet and can recycle at whim. Some of my neighbors still throw away everything. I don't know what, other than sheer laziness keeps them from recycling. I also will routinely leave out materials which I know some "junk guy" or another will pickup. Nothing with any scrap value lasts very long in the alley.