Hydrology is the study of water quantity and movement. ACD conducts stream hydrology monitoring on streams, rivers, and ditches throughout the county. Hydrological data helps engineers and natural resource managers better understand the effects of rain events, land development, and stormwater management. The data is used for flood prediction, engineering solutions to flooding problems, calculating pollutant loadings in streams, and computer modeling.
Stream hydrology monitoring is done with pressure inducer dataloggers that record water levels every 15 minutes and are downloaded periodically throughout the season. Equipment is deployed during the open water season. Each year, we calibrate the gauges to ensure the readings correspond to sea level elevations. At some sites, we have determined rating curves (mathematical relationships between water levels and flows), which allow us to estimate flows from water level data.
To view or download raw data about a particular stream in Anoka County, use our Data Access Tool.
ACD Contact:
Links:
Stream Hydrology Monitoring Methods
USGS - Rum River Real-Time Hydrology
USGS - Mississippi River Real-Time Hydrology