New material will be added as needed.
Contributions are welcome.
The development of data on the flow of the Nation's rivers mirrors the development of the country. From the establishment of the first stream-gaging station operated by the USGS in 1889, this program has grown to include 7,292 stations in operation as of 1994. The USGS stream-gaging program provides hydrologic information needed to help define, use, and manage the Nation's water resources. Because of the nationally consistent, prescribed standards by which the data are collected and processed, the data from individual stations are commonly used for purposes beyond the original purpose for an individual station. The general objective of the stream-gaging program is to provide information on or to develop estimates of flow characteristics at any point on any stream.