IV.  River Gage Forms

River Gage Screen Form - Page 1 (Geographic/Physical)

1   LID  (Rvrsta.Lid)                            Alphanumeric 8
     NWS location identifier.

2   Stream  (Rvrsta.Stream)                      Alphanumeric 32
     The name of the river/stream where the gaging site is located.  The latest published name should be
     used.  If there are discrepancies, contact the owner of the gage.  Always try and spell out the full
     name of the river/stream, abbreviations such as "R" for river, "S" for stream, or "F" for fork
     should NOT be used unless there is no room within the allotted space.  Any name changes should
     be documented in the station history.

     The name of the stream is used by the WHFS applications.  It is used by the River Product
     Formatter to identify the stream which the location gages.  It also is used to identify upstream and
     downstream relationships; if multiple locations are on the same river or stream, always use
     identical wording to specify the stream for the locations.

3   Revise Date  (Rvrsta.Rrevise)                 Date
     The date this stations river station information was revised.  Enter this in the form of mm/dd/yyyy
     (e.g. 11/15/1996).

     For official river forecast points, this date should be the date an E-19 was fully revised.  Simply
     adding a historic stage, correcting a spelling error, or transferring data from the old E-19 into
     SHIMS does not constitute a full revision.  For river data points (i.e. that are not official forecast
     points), when entering information from an existing E-19 into SHIMS, this date should be the
     issuance date on the cover page of the E-19.   If you leave this field blank, the current date will be
     inserted.    

4   Lat  (Rvrsta.Rlat)                           Alphanumeric 9
    Lon  (Rvrsta.Rlon)                           Alphanumeric 9
     Latitude/longitude of the river gage in degrees, minutes, and seconds.  Enter this in the form of
     [D]DD MM SS (e.g. 39 59 59).  If you do not know the value of seconds field, leave it blank; do
     not insert "00".  This value may differ from the location's latitude/longitude entered in the Location
     Form.

5   Drainage Area  (Rvrsta.Da)                   Numeric
     Drainage area in square miles.  For small drainages, entries to the nearest hundredths of square
     miles are permissible.

6   River Mile  (Rvrsta.Mile)                    Numeric
     River miles that the gage is above the mouth of the river.  River miles should be entered to nearest
     tenth of a mile.  The latest figure published by the USGS or USCE should be used.  For sites used
     only by the NWS, the distances should be compared with the river mile for nearby published USGS
     stations for consistency.  The river mile is used by the WHFS applications to develop river profile
     displays.

7  Flood Stage  (Rvrsta.Fs)                      Numeric
     National Weather Service (NWS) flood stage in feet.  Flood stage values should be entered to the
     nearest whole foot if at all possible.  Values to the nearest half foot or even tenth of a foot are
     permissible.   The WHFS applications rely heavily on the flood stage to monitor the hydrologic
     state of a location.

     Flood stage is where flood damage begins in the reach of the river gage.  The flood stage should be
     for the reach of the river defined in the Forecast Point Screen.  Leave blank if not determined. 
     Refer to WSOM Chapter E-02 for a more thorough definition.  A few locations use the MSL as
     zero datum.  As a result, flood stage may be a 3 or 4 digit number.

8   Flood Flow  (Rvrsta.Fq)                      Numeric
     This is the discharge flow at flood stage in cubic-feet-per-second (CFS).

9   Zero Datum  (Rvrsta.Zd)                       Numeric
     Elevation of the gage zero (when the gage reads zero) in feet above Mean Sea Level.  Ordinarily,
     gage zeroes are reported to the nearest 0.01 foot.  A datum value should always be obtained and
     entered.  The datum should be entered to the same precision as it is provided.  This value for
     USGS sites is found in Water Resources Data.  The zero datum value is used by the WHFS
     applications.

10  Datum Reference  (Rvrsta.Vdatum)             Alphanumeric 20
     Reference datum the Zero Datum is based.  This generally is National Geodetic Vertical Datum of
     1929 (NGVD 29) or North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).  Technically, the term
     "Mean Sea Level" is not used any more.  Not all locations use these two datums.  For example,
     river gages on the Ohio River use NGVD 1913; NGVD 1913 is referred to as the Ohio River
     Datum.

11  Period of Record  (Rvrsta.Por)               Alphanumeric 30
     Period of record description.  A suggested format is "08/15/1875 to 12/07/1941".  This field indi-
     cates when records began at the site and if applicable, when they ended at a site.  Some locations
     have breaks in their record.  Include a short description if appropriate.

12  Rated  (Rvrsta.Rated)                        Alphanumeric 20
               (Rvrsta.Ratedat)                  Date
     Part 1:  Agency that has developed a rating for the gaging site.  If no agency has rated the gage and
     the rating used is synthetic, enter "SYNTHETIC".  Part 2:  If possible, list the date of the release
     of the most recent rating.  This will allow comparison of the dates of the RFC's rating with the
     latest USGS rating.

13  Lat/Lon Source  (Rvrsta.Rsource)             Alphanumeric 20
     Source of the latitude and longitude.  This could be from the USGS description form, a topographic
     map, some GIS software package, or a Global Position System (GPS).  

     Most topographic maps use the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27).  GPS can use NAD 27,
     but also uses the newer NAD 84.  NAD 83 and NAD 84 are considered identical for NWS
     purposes.  The differences between NAD 27 and NAD 84 are non-linear and vary from 10 to 450
     meters around the United States.

14  Leveling  (Rvrsta.Level)                     Alphanumeric 20
     The agency which performed levels to the site and the date it was completed, if known.  Levels
     should be done periodically by the agency responsible for verifying the stability of the elevations
     and records.  

     The USGS is typically very good about running levels to their sites.  A comment like "USGS
     Recently" is acceptable in many cases.  If it is a NWS site, please be more specific and keep level
     notes on file.

15   Forecast type  (Rvrsta.Fcstype)             Alphanumeric 9
     An indicator of the type of forecasts issued.  Appropriate entries are; 
          H -  headwater
          D -  daily (stage)
          Q -  daily (discharge)
          S -  snowmelt
          F -  flood (stage)
          P -  pool elevation
          I -  reservoir inflow
          G -  flood (discharge)
          W -  water supply

     To define a river location as an official forecast point, specify that it has a forecast type of flood
     (F).  The forecast type field is used by the WHFS applications to classify river locations.
     
     If additional entries are needed, please clear them with your Regional Hydrologist.  Multiple
     responses may be entered (i.e. DQ or HSF).  Be sure to check that an "S" meaning daily stage is
     not inadvertently in this field; change the "S" to a "D".

16   USGS No  (Rvrsta.Gsno)                      Alphanumeric 10
     U.S. Geological Survey stream gage number in the format of RBSSSSXX or RB-SSSS.XX.  The
     recommended format is RBSSSSXX; the format RB-SSSS.XX, which was used through 1969, is
     still acceptable.  This field should be blank if the site does not have a USGS number assigned to it. 
     Your local U.S. Geological Survey office should be able to provide you with a number.

17  Bankfull  (Rvrsta.Bf)                        Numeric
     Bankfull stage in feet.  Leave blank if the bankfull stage has not been determined.  The bankfull
     stage should be for the reach of the river defined in the Forecast Point Screen.  This value could be
     the same as flood stage, but is generally lower.

     Bankfull stage is generally the level at which the stream is flowing bank to bank; unusually low
     portions along the reach are inundated at the bankfull level.  In many areas of the United States,
     bankfull level can be reached several times a year.  Bankfull can also be the level where peaks
     above base discharge are listed in WRD published by the USGS.

18  Check Bar  (Rvrsta.Cb)                       Numeric
     The check bar reading of a wire weight stream gage in feet above the zero datum.  Normally the
     reading is precise to hundredths of feet.  Only river stations with a wire weight gage have a check
     bar reading.  The check bar reading can be obtained on site by a field visit or from a USGS gage
     description form.

19  Pool  (Rvrsta.Pool)                          Numeric
     Normal pool elevation is for gaging stations located on navigable rivers where there are locks and
     dams.  If a gage site is located behind a low head dam, a pool stage would likely exist also.  The
     value represents the normal water pool at this site.  For most river gages there will NOT be a pool
     stage.  In this case, leave the field blank.

20 Action  (Rvrsta.Astg)                         Numeric
     This is the action stage for the location.  It typically is below flood stage, and is the stage at which
     particular attention should be given to the situation at the location such as closing of gates, starting
     pumps, etc.  A value should be entered; do not leave blank unless absolutely unavoidable.  The
     action stage is used by the WHFS applications.

21  Tidal Effect  (Rvrsta.Tide)                  Alphanumeric 8
     Indicates any tidal effects at the river gage site.  Appropriate entries are "None", "Minor",
     "Moderate" or "Major".  Enter the worse case effect and include desired details in Remarks field
     for the River Gage.  Tidal effects are common along the coastal areas of the United States.  There
     are no tidal effects in the interior portion of the United States.

22  BW Effect  (Rvrsta.Backwater)                Alphanumeric 8
     Indication of any backwater effects at the river gage site.  Appropriate entries are "None",
     "Minor", "Moderate" or "Major".  Enter the worse case effect and include desired details in
     Remarks field for the River Gage.

     The USGS do not generally place their gaging sites in backwater.  In flat terrain, backwater effects
     can extend for miles.  Headwater locations of flood control reservoirs may experience backwater.  



River Gage Form - Page 1 (Gage History)

     Note: The gage history information allows scrolling through the multiple entries for the current
     location.

23  Type  (Gage.Eqc)                             Alphanumeric 10
     Types of gaging equipment that have been at the gaging site.  These entries should be a history of
     equipment at the sites.  This will require multiple gage type entries at most river forecast sites.  It is
     rare that only one type of gage is at a collocated USGS site.  For each gage type, all the fields for
     the Gage History should be entered.  For fields which the information is not known, leave blank.

     Type of river gages include:  Staff, Wire Weight, Electric Tape, Various Recording Gages, Slope,
     Pressure and Sonic.  With only 10 characters allotted for this field, some abbreviations will be
     necessary.  A few suggestions include:  "Wire Wt for Wire Weight", "Elec Tape" for Electric Tape
     and "Recorder" for devices used to log the time and river stages.

24  Owner  (Gage.Owc)                            Alphanumeric 10
     The agency that owns the gage.  In the case where the USGS has abandoned a site and the NWS
     has taken over, the NWS is the owner of the gage.  Typical owners include the Corps of Engineers,
     USGS, NWS, Bureau of Reclamation, or state and local entities.  

25  Maintained  (Gage.Maint)                     Alphanumeric 10
     The agency responsible for maintaining the river gage.  It is not unusual for the Corps of Engineers
     to own the gage and the USGS to maintain it, or a city or state may own a gage and it will be
     maintained by another entity.  Abandoned USGS sites taken over by the NWS are maintained by
     the NWS.

26  Begin  (Gage.Gbegin)                         Date
     The date the gage began service.  Enter in the form of mm/dd/yyyy.

27  End  (Gage.Gend)                             Date
     The date the gage discontinued service.  Enter in the form of mm/dd/yyyy.  If the gage is still in
     service, leave this field blank.  

28  Location  (Gage.Gloc)                        Alphanumeric 255
     The exact location of the gage, remarks or comments about this gage. This may include any
     recording devices connected to it, comments about the gage or its history and any other pertinent
     comments.  


River Gage Form - Page 2 (Crest History)

     Note: The historical crest information allows scrolling through the multiple entries for the current
     location.

29  Stage  (Crest.Stgcrst)                       Numeric
     Listing of the significant historical flood crests in feet, to a precision of hundredths of feet if
     available.  For flood crests which were based on a different datum, they should be converted to the
     current datum.  In the Crest Remarks field, the stage based on the datum at the time of the flood
     and old datum should be listed.

     Datums which were changed only in response to survey corrections or changes are immune to this
     provision.  The conversion is necessary when datum changes were the result of physically raising
     or lowering the gage.  Frequently, ironing out these distinctions is troublesome, but nonetheless
     vital to an accurate history at a gaging site.

     This information should be available from the USGS Water Supply data, U.S. Weather Bureau
     Daily River Stages, or publications from other agencies.  Much of the data for the section is
     available on CD-ROM.  Care should be taken to insure that information on the flood stages is
     accurate and can be proven.  Sources of this information should be listed in the References section
     of the Forecast Point Form.

     If time is short, enter the most significant floods as a start.  Be sure to include the record flood and
     significant seasonal floods.  The WHFS applications use the historical crest information for
     inclusion in the formatted products and for general comparison and display purposes.
     
30  Date  (Crest.Datcrst)                        Date
     The date the flood crest occurred.  Enter in the form of mm/dd/yyyy.  If the month and/or day is
     not known, enter a "01" for the month and/or day.  Be sure to check that another crest does not
     have the same date that you entered for the missing date.  If there is another crest with this date,
     you must select another day of the month.  Include a note about the date uncertainty in the Crest
     Remarks field.

31  Time  (Crest.Timecrst)                       Alphanumeric 5
     Local time when the crest occurred, using the 2400 hour clock.  Use the format HH:MM.  Leave
     blank if not available.

32  Flow  (Crest.Q)                              Numeric
     Discharge in cubic-feet-per-second (CFS).  This should only include field discharge measurements
     or discharge estimates from the USGS.  Do not use a rating curve to obtain a discharge value. 
     Leave blank if there is no published discharge.

33  Survey  (Crest.Hw)                           Alphanumeric 1
     Put an "X" in this column to indicate if high water marks were used to determine the flood crest
     height as opposed to a gage reading.  Record or significant floods before the river station began
     would have been determined from high water marks.  Leave blank if gage height was determined
     by a river gage.

34  Old Datum  (Crest.Old)                       Alphanumeric 1
     Place an "X" in this field to indicate if the gage used to measure the flood had a different datum
     from the current datum.  In the Crest Remarks field, the stage based on the datum at the time of the
     flood and old datum should be listed.

35  Ice Jam  (Crest.Jam)                         Alphanumeric 1
     Place an "X" in this column to indicate if the flood crest was the result of ice jamming effects.  If
     flood debris also cause a significant effect on the crest, also place an "X", and indicate this in the
     Crest Remarks field.  If there are no ice or debris jamming effects, leave blank.

36  Preliminary  (Crest.Prelim)                  Alphanumeric 1
     Indicates whether this entry is preliminary in nature, or has been declared as official by the
     appropriate agencies.  Many offices update their crest table shortly after a flood event.  If this is a
     USGS site, an "X" should be entered in this field to mark the crest preliminary.  After the USGS
     publish the data, change the crest to their value and remove the "X".

37  Suppress  (Crest.Suppress)                   Alphanumeric 1
     Place an "X" in this field if it is desirable to suppress the printing of this flood crest on the E-19
     picture page.  For locations with many crests, printing only the most significant flood crests is
     important for quick and easy reference.

38  Rem  (Crest.Cremark)                         Alphanumeric 80
     Comments about this flood crest.  For flood crests which are based on an old datum, the old datum
     and stage based on the old datum should be listed here.  For example, a stage of 22.10 feet
     occurred in 1965 based on a datum of 191.73 feet.  In 1989, the datum was raised 3 feet to its
     current level of 194.73 feet.  The 1965 flood crest would be 19.10 feet based on the current datum
     established in 1989.  The entry for this flood in field 32 on this page should be 19.10 feet.  In this
     section, the remark should be, "Stage measured was 22.10 feet based on old datum of 191.73 feet."

     Comments about significant channel improvements and levee affecting later floods should also be
     included in this field.

River Gage Form - Page 2 (Remarks)

39  Remarks  (Rvrsta.Rremark)                    Alphanumeric 255
     Any general comments about the river gage site.  This will appear in the remarks section of the E-19A.