A Gage House-the most common source of river stage data. The data most often collected at a gaging station are stage . Stage is the height of the water surface above a reference elevation. A gage house consists of a stilling well dug along the riverbank with a surrounding shelter that protects the equipment inside.
Water enters the well through one or more inlet pipes.
The water in the well rises to the same level as the river. Data transmitted via satellite are a very important source of information for many agencies. Data are used to forecast river conditions, to issue flood warnings, and to plan reservoir releases or water withdrawals. The availability of this realtime data has become so important that the number of stations equipped with DCP's has been steadily increasing. As of 1996, there were over 4,200 stations with DCP's.