Information Panel: How High is the River?

Informational Panel titled "How High is the River"

NPS/USGS photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Georgetown Waterfront Park, Washington, DC

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible

This wayside panel sits close to the edge of Georgetown Waterfront Park and overlooks the Potomac River.

The top third of the sign features a background of tall green trees, and below is a calm blue river. Two large boulders sit along the river's edge at the tree line, and a kayaker paddles in the river below. Text beneath the kayaker reads:Learn more about the USGS at www.usgs.govGeorgetown Waterfront Park is managed by Rock Creek Park (National Park Service). For more information, visit www.nps.gov/rocr and www.georgetownwaterfrontpark.org.

The sign is titled across the top left corner in white lettering: How High is the River?Text below reads:How High is the River? The structures to your right contains a streamgage that records water levels in the Potomac River. The hydrograph below shows the Potomac River reached flood levels in Jun 2018. Water levels at this site are measured by sensing the air pressure required to force air bubbles into the river. The water in the river at this location is affected by the same tides that affect the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, but the water here is fresh, not salty or even brackish.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors water quantity and quality. USGS data is used for studying, managing, and/or forecasting:

• Water resources and water supply
• Floods and droughts
• Climate change
• Bridge and infrastructure design
• Reservior operations
• Water quality
• Stormwater and stream restoration
• In-stream flows for habitats
• Recreational safety

A column of text on the lower left side titled Streamgages describes the gray box that sits to the right of the wayside:StreamgagesThis is USGS Streamgage 01647600, Potomac River at Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D.C. Check out waterdata.usgs.gov to find out how high the river is or learn other facts about water.The USGS operates this streamgage in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service. The USGS has measured water levels on the Potomac River in Georgetown since 1935. The USGS operates more than 100 streamgages along the Potomac River and its tributaries and over 8,200 stremgages across the Nation.Above the kayaker in the center of the sign, is text that reads:The streamgages on the Potomac River are crucial to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. The only way to determine the amount of pollution flowing to the Bay is to know the concentration of the pollution and the amount of water flowing to the Bay.To the right of the kayaker is a two by four-inch white box with green border along the top that reads: Measuring the Water Level. A graph on the right side is titled: 01647600 Potomac River at Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC. The graph shows how water levels during an eight-day period spiked over flood stage levels to eight feet for two days during the timespan.Text to the left reads:Measuring the Water Level. The streamgage measures the height of the river as it rises and falls with the tides. In the hydrograph (right), the height of water is shown over eight days in June 2018. Between June 4 and 6, 2018, the river rose more than 3 feet due to high river flows caused by heavy rains across the Potomac River watershed. During those days, the river was above the flood level.The far right column of the sign features a white box with blue top border that reads: Monitoring the Potomac River Watershed. Below, a map is displayed of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. The Chesapeake Bay is shown on the far right. Text beneath details the nature of watersheds:Monitoring the Potomac WatershedA "watershed" is an area of land from which water drains into a particular body of water. The Potomac River receives its water from an area that covers nearly 15,000 square miles in four states and the District of Columbia. The Potomac River empties into the Chesapeake Bay 112 miles downstream from this site.If you live or work in the area, you may be one of the nearly 5 million people who receive drinking water from the Potomac River watershed. Monitoring water quantity and quality in the entire watershed is vital, because what happens upstream