How High is the River?

How High is the River?. . , The structures to your right contains a streamgage that records water levels in the Potomac River. The hydrograph below shows the Potomac River reached flood levels in June 2018. Water levels at this site are measured by sensing the air pressure required to force air bubbles into the river. The water in the river at this location is affected by the same tides that affect the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, but the water here is fresh, not salty or even brackish., The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors water quantity and quality. USGS data is used for studying, managing, and/or forecasting: ,

. Water resources and water supply , . Floods and droughts , . Climate change , . Bridge and infrastructure design , . Reservoir operations , . Water quality , . Stormwater and stream restoration , . In-stream flows for habitats , . Recreational safety , . Navigation

, The streamgages on the Potomac River are crucial to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. The only way to determine the amount of pollution flowing to the Bay is to know the concentration of the pollution and the amount of water flowing to the Bay., Streamgages , This is USGS Streamgage 01647600, Potomac River at Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D.C. Check out waterdata.usgs.gov to find out how high the river is or learn other facts about water., The USGS operates this streamgage in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service. The USGS has measured water levels on the Potomac River in Georgetown since 1935. The USGS operates more than 100 streamgages along the Potomac River and its tributaries and over 8,200 streamgages across the Nation., Measuring the Water Level , The streamgage measures the height of the river as it rises and falls with the tides. In the hydrograph (right), the height of the water is shown over eight days in June 2018. Between June 4 and 6, 2018, the river rose more than 3 feet due to high river flows caused by heavy rains across the Potomac River watershed. During those days, the river was above the flood level., Monitoring the Potomac River Watershed , A "watershed" is an area of land from which water drains into a particular body of water. The Potomac River receives its water from an area that covers nearly 15,000 square miles in four states and the District of Columbia. The Potomac River empties into the Chesapeake Bay 112 miles downstream from this site., If you live or work in the area, you may be one of the nearly 5 million people who receive drinking water from the Potomac River watershed. Monitoring water quantity and quality in the entire watershed is vital, because what happens upstream affects people and the environment downstream.