The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-11-27
SHOULD take 20 Years TO
COMPLETE DATA ON RIVER
U. s. Geological Survey Has Been En-
gagged in Systematic Study of Wa
ter Resources for the Last Eighteen
Years

Washington, d. c., Nov. 27.--For
the last eighteen years the U. 5. Geo
olgieal Survey has been engaged in the
systematic study of water resources of
the United States, The specific appro
priation for this work has ranged from
sl2,500 to 100000 year. From
1898 to 1906 the annual appropriation
was 100000; since 1911 it has been
$l50,0o0, but the demand for water
resources Investigations has been stead.
lily Increasing and at the present tine
twice the amount of the appropriation
could be protitshly and economically
expended upon this class of engineering
work.
In studying the water resources of
the country the volume of streams. the
location, extent and amount of under
ground water and the quality of water
are determined. A knowledge of un-
derground water conditions in any see
tion of the country is of general value
and is of very special use in the arid
and semi,arid portions of the West, Cor
in many sections underground water is
the only source of water for domestic
use and for irrigation purposes. The
amount of water flowing in a stream
at any place is determined from meas.
urements made of the flow at different
stages or heights, in conjunction with
a record of the daily stage of the river.
With this information the daily flow of
a stream is easily computed,
Since the flow of stream depends
ppnp ha a,nnuut Of 4.
ton, which varies greatly from year to
year, it is evident that to be of value
records of the flow should be deter
mined for a number of years; that is,
at least . years up to about 10 to ~
years or even longer, depending upon
the stream, its location and the use to
be made of the stream. This data VS.
of primary value in all problems involv-
ing the use or control of water for irri-
CATION, water power, flood control, mu'
nicipal water supply and drainage
There is no definite relation between
precipitation and the flow of streams
so that stream flow can only be deter
mined with accuracy from actual rec
ords of the daily flow.
In studying the water resources OF
the United States the country has been
divided into IL main natural drainage
basins. 4 report upon the stream flow
of each drainage basin is issued by the
Geological Survey each year. Thus all
the stream-fiow data collected during
1912 on streams which flow into the
Great Lakes and st. Lawrence river
have been compiled by Engineers Z. T.
Covert. A. II. Horton and w. e. Hoyt,
in Water Supply Paper S24.
The total drainage area OF the 81:
lawrence river below the mouth OF
the Oswegatchie river is approximately
$4,000 square miles. OF this area,
a5.6OO square miles, or nearly 20 per
cent. is water surface. The area OF
Lake Superior is So, 100 square miles
Excluding Lake st. Clair, Ontario Is the
smallest of the Great Lakes. with an
area of 400 square miles. The mean
animal flow of the st. Lawrence river
at Ogdensburg is about 2o2,ooo see
ond-feet, or cubic feet per second. Inc
mean annual flow of the ONO RIVER al
it's mouth is about 100000 second-feet,
with a drainage area of 2OS,OOo square
miles. II
Water Supply Paper S24 contains all
the information collected during lslz
ON streams in the st, Lawrence river
basin. Records of river stage and dls'
charge. or river stage only, are given
for some fifty odd gaging stations: In
addition to the ordinary use made OF
stream flow records, in water power,
water supply and flood control studies
+he data in this report are of value in
studying the effect of the flow in the
Chicago Drainage & Ship canal upon
the Great Lakes and also in studying
the pollution of the Great Lakes by
sewage.