Hydrology is the study of the relationships and interactions between water and its environment within the hydrological cycle. As water moves within a watershed, it carries sediment, chemicals, heat and biota. The movement of water in the hydrologic cycle drives the watershed system and affects all aspects of watershed health. Water is central to human existence and life in general. Unless trapped as groundwater within closed basins, water is constantly in motion. It may be stored in glacial ice, underground, or in lakes or reservoirs, but eventually it flows, melts, seeps, or evaporates. This water movement is continuous but irregular in space and time. As a result, even well-supplied areas can experience droughts or floods.
ACD conducts stream hydrology monitoring on streams, rivers, and ditches throughout the county. Hydrological data helps engineers and natural resource managers better understand the effects of rain events, land development, and stormwater management. The data is used for flood prediction, engineering solutions to flooding problems, calculating pollutant loadings in streams, and computer modeling.
Stream hydrology monitoring is done with pressure-inducer dataloggers that record water levels every 15 minutes and are downloaded periodically throughout the season. Equipment is deployed during the open water season. Each year, we calibrate the gauges to ensure their readings correspond to sea-level elevations. At some sites, we have developed rating curves (mathematical relationships between water levels and flows) that allow us to estimate flows from water-level data.
To view or download raw data about a particular stream in Anoka County, use our Data Access Tool.
ACD Contact:
Links:
Stream Hydrology Monitoring Methods
USGS - Rum River Real-Time Hydrology
USGS - Mississippi River Real-Time Hydrology