USGS Style A Staff Gauges
A USGS Style A staff gauge is used to measure water levels in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and other bodies of surface water.
Features
- 4 inch wide by 3.4 foot long sections are graduated every 0.02 feet
- Designed for high accuracy & excellent readability
- Special porcelain enamel coating offers rust & discoloration protection
- Expedited repair and warranty service
- Lifetime technical support
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Overview
A USGS-style staff gauge is used to measure water levels in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and other surface water bodies. These gauges provide a visual indication of water level and are designed for high accuracy and excellent readability.
Durability
Each gauge is constructed of iron for maximum survivability in extreme environmental conditions. A unique porcelain enamel coats each staff gauge, protecting the instruments from rust and discoloration. Under normal conditions, the gauge will last for many years. All gauges are accurately graduated and are easily fastened to walls, piers, and other structures.
- Material: Iron with porcelain coating
- Length: 40.75"
- Width: 4.00"
- Hole Spacing: 3.50" horizontal; 9.60" vertical
- Large Number Size: 0.75" tall
- Small Number Size: 0.25" tall
- Markings: Graduated every 0.02 ft.
In The News
Nonprofit Kick-Starts Water Data Gathering In Nepal Valley
For the first time, citizens of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal have free access to local water data. The data is the result of a water quality monitoring pilot project started by the California-based nonprofit SmartPhones4Water (S4W). 
 
SmartPhones4Water, an idea developed by Ph.D. student Jeff Davids and the late Dr. Peter-Jules van Overloop from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), was started in California in 2014. The goal of the organization is to leverage smartphone technology to gather water data in countries where such data is scarce. The method is simple: a network of local citizens use their smartphones to capture and upload the data to an online server and database.
Read MoreResearchers conduct first-ever analysis of water loss during hydropeaking
Hydroelectric dams are often touted as a fairly clean, versatile source of power. While coal-fired power plants must maintain a constant output rate, hydroelectric dams can provide power as it’s needed through a process known as hydropeaking, in which water is released during periods of peak power draw to meet demand. 
 
Despite the practice’s widespread application, the effects of hydropeaking on local environments hadn’t been thoroughly examined — that is, until two University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers conducted a study revealing some unforeseen tradeoffs. Published in the journal Hydrological Processes, the paper detailing the study’s findings says that 10 percent of water released during hydropeaking is permanently lost.
Read MoreCrowdHydrology sources water level data from public's text messages
Chris Lowry’s idea was simple: set up staff gauges on local streams and leave a sign requesting passersby read the water level and text the data to a phone number. Data from text messages would be recorded and then posted to a website for public use. 
 It was the beginning of CrowdHydrology, a crowdsourcing project that recently gained U.S. Geological Survey support for expansion into several Midwest states. Though it won’t generate as much data as official USGS stream gauges, the project will generate data points that supplement those lost from official gauges shut down following federal budget cuts. 
 Lowry, an assistant professor of geology at the University at Buffalo, set up eight pilot sites in New York in 2011 in an attempt to crowdsource water level data.
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