Gauges 101 – The Gauley River
By
Chuck Brabec
Introduction
This document is an attempt to help boaters understand the
overall hydrology of the Gauley River and, hopefully, give
them an understanding of how to interpret the various USGS
gauges. The information
is based on my personal knowledge of the Gauley Watershed
and my observations over the past 10-15 years.
Please send any feedback to me at
chuck@thebrabecs.com.
Watershed
Overview
The Gauley River can be divided into 2 major sections
– above and below Summersville Lake.
The headwaters of the Gauley River begin in Pocahontas
County, WV near Jerryville. On its way to Summersville
Lake, the Gauley is joined (in order) by the Williams River
(near Cowen, WV), the Cranberry River (near Craigsville,
WV) and the Cherry River (also near Craigsville, WV).
Several smaller streams and creeks add their water to the
Gauley upstream of Summersville Lake. These rivers and
streams are all natural flow and are dependent on snowmelt
and rainfall.
Below Summersville Lake/Dam, the flow is determined largely
by the how much water is released from Summersville Dam by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and how much water
is flowing into the Gauley from the Meadow River. Other
smaller streams also add their flow to the Gauley in this
section.
The Gauley River merges with the New River in the town of
Gauley Bridge, WV. From that point downstream, the river is
known as the Kanawha River.
Important
Gauges above Summersville Lake
The most important gauge for determining how much water is
coming into Summersville Lake is the USGS gauge near
Craigsville, WV. This gauge shows what has come down the
Gauley, Williams, Cranberry and Cherry Rivers. The gauge is
located where Route 20 crosses the Gauley River (at the
confluence of the Gauley and Cherry). However, this gauge
doesn’t tell us what the flow/level is on each of the
major tributaries. We get that information from the USGS
gauges on the Williams at Dyer, the Gauley near
Camden-on-Gauley and the Cranberry near Richwood. The only
gauge on the Cherry River is the painted paddler’s
gauge on the old bridge piling on river left behind the
Fenwick Post Office.
Important Gauges below Summersville Lake
The most important USGS gauges are the ones below
Summersville Dam, on the Meadow River at Mt. Lookout (just
upstream of the confluence of the Meadow and Gauley Rivers)
and the Gauley River above Belva. Another USGS gauge of
importance (especially during periods of moderate to heavy
rains) is the one on Peters Creek near Lockwood.
How the USACE manages the flow from Summersville Dam
Summersville Dam is used primarily for flood control. The
lake level is held at approximately 1575 feet elevation in
the winter and 1652 feet during the summer. The USACE
monitors the level of Summersville Lake and adjusts how
much water they release through the dam on a day-to-day
basis. The minimum flow is 100 cfs. Additional water is
released in the fall to bring the lake down to winter pool
and less water is released in the spring to bring the lake
up to summer pool.
“Gauley season” marks the beginning of the fall
draw-down of Summersville Lake. The season begins on the
first weekend after Labor Day and runs for 6 weekends. You
can find the release schedule and projected flows on the
USACE web page at
http://www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/wwsched.html.
After that, there is approximately 3 weeks reserved for
fishing and fish stocking. During this timeframe, the USACE
releases approximately 250-700 cfs from Summersville Dam.
The month of November is used to finish bringing the lake
level down to winter pool. Normal flows during this period
are approximately 1100 cfs.
During the spring, beginning on about April
1st,
the USACE starts bringing Summersville Lake up to summer
pool. Their goal is to have the lake at summer pool by June
1st.
During this time, the USACE releases less water from
Summersville Lake than is coming into the lake, bringing
the lake up to summer pool. This process begins around
April 1st
and
ends when the lake is at summer pool, with the goal being
to reach summer pool by June 1st.
When the lake is at the appropriate pool level (summer or
winter), the USACE holds the lake close to that level by
using the basic principle “What comes in goes
out”. The USGS gauge on the Gauley River at
Craigsville shows roughly what is coming into the lake. If
the lake level rises to about .35 feet above the desired
pool elevation, the USACE will release more than what is
coming down the Gauley at Craigsville. Exceptions to this
rule do occur, especially during periods of significant
rainfall and extreme drought.
Exceptions
to the rule
During significant rainfalls, the USACE may hold back water
at Summersville Dam to prevent flooding downstream. This is
especially true when the Meadow and/or New Rivers are also
high.
When drought conditions exist, more water is released from
Summersville Dam to augment the low flow on the New River.
This usually occurs when the New River at Thurmond is
running below 1000 cfs.
How
to Interpret the Various Gauges and their impact on the
USACE release from Summersville Dam
At
winter or summer pool
Look at the
USGS gauge on the Gauley River at Craigsvillle and the lake
level. If the lake level is within the desired level + .35
feet, the USACE will most likely use the “what comes
in goes out” rule and release approximately what is
coming into the lake (the flow at the Craigsville gauge).
If the lake level is over the desired level + .35 feet, the
USACE will most likely increase the flow from Summersville
Dam to something more than the flow that is coming into the
lake (the flow at the Craigsville gauge).
If you watch the gauges above Craigsville and the actual
and predicted rainfall totals in the Gauley watershed, you
can get a feel for the USACE might do to the release from
Summersville Dam a few days into the future.
You also need to examine the flow on the New River. If it
is extremely low (generally below 1100 cfs), the USACE will
probably release enough water from Summersville Dam to
ensure an adequate flow on the Kanawha River (below the
confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers). One way to check
for this possibility is to look at the USGS gauge on the
Kanawha River at Kanawha Falls. It should be at least 2,000
cfs. If it is lower and there is no expected increase in
the flow coming down the New River, the USACE will increase
the flow from Summersville Dam.
During the Fall Draw-down
Use the
information from the USACE web page at
http://www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/wwsched.html
to
determine how much the USACE will release from Summersville
Lake.
During
the Spring (starting around April
1st)
This is the
most difficult time to predict releases from Summersville
Dam because the USACE is holding back water to bring
Summersville Lake up to summer pool. It is also normally
when there is plenty of water in the New River. Therefore,
the “what comes in goes out” rule does not
apply. About the only thing that you can do is watch the
level at Summersville Lake and see how close it is to
summer pool.
Resources
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Huntington District
- Latest River
and Lake Data
(includes lake
elevation levels and release flows for Summersville and
Bluestone dams)
http://www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/whitewater.html
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District -
Whitewater Schedule of Releases
(shows the scheduled release dates, times and flows for the
Gauley during the fall draw-down)
http://www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/wwsched.html
USGS Real-Time
Data for West Virginia
(includes all USGS gauges for West Virginia)
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wv/nwis/current/?type=flow&group_key=huc_cd
American Whitewater River Summary
(summary page for all WV rivers in the AW database, with a
link to each reach)
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_state-summary_state_WV_
West Virginia Automated Flood Warning System
(rainfall totals for the past 24 hours, by station within
county)
http://www.afws.net/data/wv/wvdata.htm
NOAA 5-Day Precipitation Forecast
http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/p120i00.gif
“A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to West
Virginia” (formerly Wildwater West Virginia) by Paul
Davidson, Ward Eister, Dirk Davidson; Revised and Edited by
Charlie Walbridge with Bobby Miller and Turner
Sharp