Meter on Brandy Run

Now that the meter on Brandy has been fixed, and a new season is upon us. Can anyone tell me if the meter reads the same as in past? Example: 4-5 CFS kind of low ..while 19-20 CFS kind of high. Thanks

I haven't gotten a good feel for the reset of this gauge yet.  Will take a few good rains and trips to Elk that get a wide spread soaking.  It's tough considering Brandy drain such a small area.  I've actually developed a pretty reliable visual with the Elk feeder creek that flows through my yard.  It drains about the same area as Brandy, but much further upstream.

Correct, provided that the calibration is same as before.  Initial observations are that it is not.

It is what it is.  Could have been out before and good now.  I dunno.  Like I said I haven't gotten a feel for it yet as haven't fished Elk yet when Brandy is on the drop.  Wait and see I guess.  Used to be when Brandy hit 10 cfs, the stretch I like to fish on Elk was good.  We'll see if that holds.

It would be great if 20 CFS was always 20 CFS, but put two gauges on the same stream a mile apart and you'll get different readings. It becomes especially hard when the gauge is on a feeder so the correlation is indirect to begin with. It took 15 years to get to the point where I could figure conditions on most of the Erie tribs with that Brandy gauge. And of course you had to consider some other factors. But it was never a science. I guess I'll have to figure it out again. Thanks for the input.

They use simple algorithms based on gauge height and stream velocity.  When they are calibrated the gauge height will correspond to a cross sectional area of the streamflow (or discharge if known).  Cross sectional area (ft^2) x stream velocity (ft/s) yields discharge in ft^3/s.  There is a little more to it than that, but you can get the gist.

Streambeds are always prone to sedimentation buildup or washout in the vicinity of the gauge, both of which can throw off the calibration of the gauge stations.  It is entirely possibly that anomalies will exist for this reason, which can seem more substantial in a small stream such as Brady Run. 

It is also very likely that 2 gauging stations on the same stream some distance apart without surface water influence between them will show different discharge measurements.  Groundwater in, groundwater out, evaporation, and plant transpiration can not be ignored and can be significant depending on (among other things) the local geology and vegetation.  

ORIGINAL: spoonchucker

Cold,

I think they are cornfusing the height guage & the flow guage. With height, the same reading in two different locations could mean two different things. But CFS, is CFS regardless.

Thanks. *sigh*

The water doesn't know whether its in a lab or a stream.

Any difference in the readings of those meters is due to water being added, water being taken away, or the inaccuracy of the measuring device or method.

This is what happens when people learn math on the internet.

I think the best thing to do is to just SHUTTHEF*CKUPANDGOFISH

There, thats the problem your doing math were all onto physics, could not pass that up, sorry.. Let's forget it, I'll figure it out in a few weeks anyway.

ORIGINAL: Cold

The water doesn't know whether its in a lab or a stream.

Any difference in the readings of those meters is due to water being added, water being taken away, or the inaccuracy of the measuring device or method.

This is what happens when people learn math on the internet.