UPDATE 9/7/11 River Gages on the Chopping Block!

[DeBo]

Ok! First, before there are any misunderstandings; the February boad meeting was a club event, not just a board meeting and the one you are refering to was held over a year ago. Our last Winter board meeting event was much less expensive. I'm sure you can find it in the treasurers report. And what is the point of bring that up again here anyway?

Second, our last board meeting cost nothing because it was held by phone conference. We plan to do more that way in the future.

I have already said that conservation funds could be used if needed and Central Chapter might help. There is no need to poll the board about anything at this time. USGS is working a lot of different angles and the amounts that we might need to contribute could change. USGS has told me that we have a couple of months to work with.

[Fish]

If it's $4,000+ per year, the ACC might could shoulder it, but that's a lot of money for a 500ish membership club any way you slice it. Not sure how sustainable that is out of the Gauge or Conservation fund or both... Maybe we could do a special fundraiser each year which could raise that much money. Back in my day, we used to raise in the upper hundreds just selling artery-clogging fried food... :)

On another note, I sure do miss those old all-expense-paid board meetings in the Bahamas. Sure meeting at Turners Bend or Lake Fort Smith is a lot cheaper, but what price can you really put on fantastic governance like back when I was on the Board?

- Fish

[MaxTexan]

Getting funds to the USGS for the gages may be more problematic than you think.

Several years ago when I worked in Booneville, people we worked with in Fayetteville depended on the rain gauge associated with the gage on the Pettie Jean. WHen it broke, I offered the USGS to pay for the repairs. The person I spoke with said that they did not know how to accept funds from another federal agency for such a project.

Fortunately it was repaired soon after.

[Fish]

We've run into what you're talking about before too MaxTexan, but ACC has successfully partnered with USGS on a couple gauges in the past, so I think it should be workable if the money is there.

[maggiepowell]

Debbie,

What can "we" do as individuals that might have an impact on saving gauges?

Maggie Powell

[Richard]

30 years ago is when the national mindset changed. When infrastructure, the middle class, education all took a backseat to the greater good of making the rich richer and the poor poorer. When the greatest nation started its downward spiral. When The greatest creditor started its journey to becoming the greatest debtor. The facts are readily available but we prefer to believe our false beliefs and push for things that will just make it worse.
[attachment=0]tax cuts.jpg[/attachment]
See Below:

[Fish]

Whoa, that graph looks like an American flag melting! :shock:

Frighteningly appropriate...

[DeBo]

Debbie,

What can "we" do as individuals that might have an impact on saving gauges?

Maggie Powell

Thanks Maggie. I posted this to get people started discussing it and I needed an idea of everyones priorities when I talk to agencies next week. If we need to help with funding, we are going to have to identify the gages we want to save the most.

There may be some other government funding out there and if we can locate it the best way to get it coming to the gages will be to write some letters. If we need to do that, I will post the addresses here. The best thing membership can do is stay tuned and respond when the time comes. I was also hopeful that some of our members might be aware of potential funding sources that I am not. Thanks for everyones support on this.

[Renee H]

Can ADEQ request funds from the state so they can continue supporting the gauges? It appears AR ended its fiscal year with $94 million in surplus.
http://www.arkansas.gov/senate/newsroom ... ews_id=299" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DeBo]

Thanks Renee! That is a good idea. Our 75 thousand would be a drop in te bucket. Sounds like this should be taken directly to Teresa Marks.

[TC]

Wow! All of this is news to me. L&D 13 is one of my gages. We pay USGS to take discharge measurements there. The Corps also pays USGS so much a year (insurt dollar figure here) to maintain the gages that run into the Arkansas and White rivers. I don't see these gages being chopped because the Corps uses them to forcast flows on the Arkansas and the White.
The money ADEQ is paying USGS may be for water quality? This is where USGS takes water samples and test the water quality.

[DeBo]

You are correct. the ADEQ gages also had a lot of water quality capability. These are very important for monitoring changes that affect the health of these streams in addition to the flow.

The Corp cut 300,000 in funding last year to USGS for gages in east Arkansas. These gages are now gone. I only found out about that when I tried to log in to the Bayou DeView gage and it was not there!

It's unbelievable that they would drop these gages when we are having so much flooding and the weather is becoming even more unpredictable. I think that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and we are just going to have to protest this.

[TC]

All the gages you listed that run into the Arkansas and White are used by the Little Rock District. If USGS were to drop these gages I think my office would ask me to maintain them. The eastern part of arkansas is ran by another district. Hell, DeGray, Ouachita,ect are ran out of Vicksburg Dictrict and I drive by them when i have maintaince to do at DeQueen, Dierks, or Gillham.
USGS turned over Houston, Table Rock, and Murry L&D to me. So protest all you want and maybe I'll get to maintain the gages that are on the chopping block. Would love to only have to transmitt stage and rain fall, because these are alot easer to maintain then the L&D gages that transmitt headwater, tailwater, spillway cfs, powerplant cfs, rain, gate openings (as many as 20 gates), power plant MW and battery voltage.

[TC]

Have you called the Little Rock District and asked them why Bayou DeView was cut?

[Renee H]

TC - glad to have you on the inside. Don't you work with Gil W and Scott Hodge? I just thought that since ADEQ was helping fund these gauges at one point and it is a state agency that they could request funds from the state. However, it may be a little late since agency's budgets for the following fiscal year have to get approved when the legislative session is taking place. Any ideas on how to get around that little snafu?