Excerpt from Methods of Stream Measurement

The object of the work herein described is to obtain data bearing upon the water resources of the United States. In undertaking with limited funds an investigation of this character, it is obvious that a plan must be adopted which will yield useful results with moderate outlay. The United States is so vast and offers such diversity of topographic and climatic conditions that measurements of rivers in one section give data of little value concerning those of another sec tion. It is therefore necessary to consider carefully the distribution Of field work so as to Obtain typical results, and at the same time not to diffuse it so widely as to destroy its effectiveness. The chief object has been to lay out the operations so that there would be obtained results of practical value and of a reasonable degree of accuracy, broadly representative Of conditions prevailing throughout the United States, without expending money for the attainment of an unneces sary degree of precision. There is of course room for wide differ ence of opinion regarding the best way to attain this object. In the practice of the Survey localities have been selected where the results will have a local application to problems of development and at the same time will yield data which can be applied to adjacent areas under similar topographic conditions.

The Operations of the branch of the Geological Survey which has to do with hydrography can be divided into three distinct classes: (1) The measurement of surface streams; (2) the survey of sites for and the estimation of capacity and cost of reservoirs; and (3) the study of the quantity and movement of underground waters. The greater part of the funds available, however, is devoted to the measurement of surface streams, for those are of first importance, regarding both the quantity of water obtainable and its industrial application.

The work of ascertaining the flow of a stream, as developed by the experience of the Division of Hydrography, extending through about thirteen years, consists of (1) observing and recording the daily height of the water, (2) measuring the quantity of flow at different heights, and (3) computing the probable flow at each height or stage of the stream.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.