USGS opens stream gauge to the public for education

A USGS stream gauge on the South Fork Grand River near Cash, S.D. (Credit: Joel Petersen /USGS)

The layperson might not know a stream gauge from a seam gauge, but the U.S. Geological Survey is helping residents of Rapid City, South Dakota, get a better glimpse inside a working stream monitoring station, KOTA TV reported.

South Dakota is home to 120 stream gauge stations, and thanks to the USGS, one in Rapid City is now open for the public to examine. Curious passerby can use their smartphones to learn more about the equipment and even receive readings from the station.

The first stream gauge station at the site was established in 1942. Today, the station measures water depth, temperature and discharge, as well as rainfall and other meteorological parameters.

Image: A USGS stream gauge on the South Fork Grand River near Cash, S.D. (Credit: Joel Petersen /USGS)