USGS Measures High-Water Conditions on the Ohio River near Old Shawneetown, Illinois

Personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey, Illinois Water Science Center in Urbana will be measuring flow and stage (water level) on the Ohio River at Old Shawneetown in southeastern Illinois near the Kentucky border on Monday, March 25, 2002. All are invited to see the measurements being made and discuss with USGS personnel how these data are used.

Recent heavy rains in various parts of the Midwest have resulted in high flows and stages on the Ohio River. The USGS operates the streamflow-gaging station "Ohio River at Old Shawneetown, Illinois" to help provide information to the National Weather Service and other State and local agencies needed to warn riverside communities about the potential impact of flooding and information concerning the hydraulic characteristics of the river. This station is 1 of over 7,000 streamflow-gaging stations operated by the USGS in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies throughout the country. In the midst of a flood or high water conditions, USGS personnel work around the clock to collect the data that emergency managers rely on.

Floods are the most costly of all natural disasters in the United States. On average, floods cost the Nation $3 billion in damages and about 95 lives every year. Water only 1 foot deep flowing over a road or field can exert more than 500 pounds of lateral force that can sweep, for example, an automobile into deeper water along a roadside.

Real-time streamflow information concerning the gaging station at Old Shawneetown is available at the Illinois Water Science Center's Web site at http://il.water.usgs.gov/ (click on "data" then "Real-Time Streamflow"). National real-time streamflow information from the USGS can be accessed through the Internet at http://water.usgs.gov/public/doc/national_map.html.

As the Nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with more than 2,000 organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial, scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers. This information is gathered in every State by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, to contribute to the conservation and the sound economic and physical development of the Nation's natural resources, and to enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy, and mineral resources.

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In-depth information about water resources in Illinois may be found on the USGS, Illinois Water Science Center home page at http://il.water.usgs.gov.