Nathan J. Schaepe Colleen L. Campbell Ronald B. Zelt Daniel Ginting 2008 0.9 vector digital data unpublished provisional data Lower_Platte_GAGES5 Lincoln, Nebraska U.S. Geological Survey Alternate name of this data release is: "Lower_Platte_GAGES5" http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?sir2008-5054_Lower_Platte_gages5 The accompanying "Lower_Platte_GAGES5" data release consists of two parts, a spatial data layer composed of a vector point data set representing five USGS streamflow gaging stations, and a relational tabular database. The relational database is populated with an inventory and summary of selected river discharge measurements along with a table of measurement details for each selected discharge measurement. The spatial data layer was created from published coordinates of decimal degrees for each gaging station. The tabular database was developed chiefly from the archived Discharge Measurement Notes forms on file in the USGS offices, Lincoln, Nebr. The geographic scope is limited to the lower Platte River of eastern Nebraska, and specifically to five selected streamflow-gaging stations located near Duncan, Ashland, North Bend, Leshara, and Louisville. The data were assembled for the purpose of conducting an analysis of temporal changes in hydraulic and channel geometry characteristics of the lower Platte River over five 10-year periods. The spatial data layer identifies the location of the five selected stream gages along the lower Platte River. The tabular database is populated with selected river discharge measurements from the five selected stream gages along the lower Platte River. The vector data set and relational database can be joined using the station key. The scope of data for each discharge measurement includes hydraulic and channel geometry characteristics such as width, depth, point velocity, mean velocity, cross-sectional area, and discharge. The data also include: identifying information, such as date, relative measurement location, flow condition category (High, Median, or Low); quality ratings of conditions affecting each measurement (fair to excellent); and observations of hydraulic controls including channel features, shore ice, ice cover, and floating debris. The accompanying data release consists of two parts, a vector data set representing five USGS streamflow gaging stations, and a relational database. The relational database is populated with the inventory and summary of selected river discharge measurements along with a table of measurement details for each selected discharge measurement. The spatial data layer was created from published coordinates (lat. and long.) for each gaging station. The tabular database was developed chiefly from the archived Discharge Measurement Notes forms on file in the USGS offices, Lincoln, Nebr. Discharge measurements were selected to represent five specific time periods (1934-44, 1951-61, 1966-76, 1985-95, and 1996-2006). Within these time periods, measurements were chosen for three specific flow conditions; high flows (near the discharge exceeded an average of 99 times per 100 years), median flows (near the discharge equaled or exceeded on 50 percent of all days), and low flows (near the discharge equaled or exceeded on 84 percent of all days). Discharge measurements were further screened for comparability criteria. Specifically, measurements made at the same relative cross section within the river, and those that had data with similarly good measurement conditions were retained. 19341029 20060926 Streamflow condition at time of measurement. Complete None planned -97.496936 -96.157778 41.455024 41.006699 Water Resources Thesaurus, 3rd ed. Discharge measurement gaging stations hydraulic geometry inlandWaters GNIS Nebraska Platte River Duncan North Bend Leshara Ashland Louisville None None U.S. Geological Survey Nathan J. Schaepe Hydrologist mailing and physical address

5231 S. 19th Street

Lincoln Nebraska 68512-1271 U.S.A. (402) 328-4100 (402) 328-4101 nschaepe@usgs.gov dginting@usgs.gov 08:30 am - 5:00 pm CST prefer email. Prepared in cooperation with Lower Platte South Natural Resources District. None Unclassified Not Applicable Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.2.2.1350 Carter, Rolland W., and Anderson, Irving E. 1963 document Jour. of Hydraulics Div. (Am. Soc. Civil Engineers) v. 89, July Washington D.C. Am. Soc. Civil Engineers p. 105-115 Sauer, V.B., and Meyer, R.W. 1992 Open-File Report 92-144 Norcross, Georgia U.S. Geological Survey S.E. Rantz and others 1982 U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2175 Washington, D.C. U.S. Geological Survey See Entity Attribute chapter of this metadata for specific comments on the accuracy of various feature attributes. Each point is independent of all other points and there are no duplicate points. The geographic scope of the data release is limited to the lower Platte River of eastern Nebraska, and specifically to five selected streamflow-gaging stations located near Duncan, Ashland, North Bend, Leshara, and Louisville. The data were assembled for the purpose of conducting a temporal survey of changes in hydraulic and channel geometry and associated hydraulic habitat types of the lower Platte River over an extended period of time. A series of qualifying conditions (qualifiers) were established for screening discharge measurements for inclusion in the analysis of hydraulic habitat for the Platte River Cumulative Impact Study (CIS), as described in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Five time periods of interest had been established by Ginting and others (2008) in relation to the years when historical or recent coverage of the study area was available in the form of detailed maps or aerial photographs. The specific years of map or aerial photo coverage were called "Target Years" and these were the basis for the first of the qualifying conditions evaluated to screen discharge measurements. Target Years were initially linked to a 7-year window within which discharge measurements would be selected to represent the corresponding period, with the Target Year centered in the 7-year period. In some cases, an inadequate number of qualifying measurements resulted from the screening for a selected gaging station-time period combination. Thus, it was necessary in such cases to incrementally relax the window centered on the Target Year to obtain a larger number of qualifying discharge measurements. However, no measurements were included from outside the 11-year period centered on any Target Year. The period of record for the Ashland gage was August 1928 through May 1953 and July 1988 through the present (2006). The gap in dates represents 35 years devoid of discharge measurements at the Ashland station, thereby preventing analysis of conditions for Ashland for the period 1966-76. Additional Qualifying Conditions: Flow Condition - Measured discharge must fall within 10 percent of the midpoint of the established range for one of three selected conditions of streamflow magnititude: high flows (near the discharge exceeded an average of 99 times per 100 years), median flows (near the discharge equaled or exceeded on 50 percent of all days), and low flows (near the discharge equaled or exceeded on 84 percent of all days). Equivalence of Measured Section (Distance from Gaging Station) - spatial comparability for multitemporal comparisons was required for meaningful analyses of channel change. Discharge measurements must have been made along cross sections located within 100 feet of a common reference point in the streamwise direction. Typically the established reference point noted in the field by the hydrographer(s) was the stream-gaging station or, for example, the adjacent bridge. Quality of Measurement Conditions - rating of the quality of the conditions for discharge measurement must have been at least "Fair", but the majority of measurements within an analyzed set of measurements must have been rated "Good" or better. Also, remarks or notes recorded by the hydrographer were considered for this qualifying condition. For example, ice cover or heavy debris conditions were used as disqualifiers. Horizontal accuracy of gaging station positional data is stored within USGS NWIS data system. Report of horizontal accuracy may be retrieved from NWIS-Web on the WWW at http://nwis.usgs.gov U.S. Geological Survey 20071227 tabular digital data Not Applicable Not Applicable Reston, Va. U.S. Geological Survey http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ne/nwis/inventory?search_station_nm=platte+river&search_station_nm_match_type=beginning&station_type_cd=Y______&format=station_list&sort_key=site_no&group_key=NONE&sitefile_output_format=html_table&column_name=agency_cd&column_name=site_no&column_name=station_nm&list_of_search_criteria=search_station_nm%2Cstation_type_cd 24000 online 2008 ground condition USGS NWIS Geographic coordinates of streamflow-gaging stations. The following information is step by step documentation of the inputs and outputs performed in Arc Workstation 9.2. Arc: |> &type [date -vfull] <| 24 Feb 08 18:47:37 Sunday Arc: |> w d:\chd00\gis <| Transform horizontal coordinates from lat.-long. to meters grid on Albers Conic Equal Area projection Arc: |> project file gages5-dms.txt gages5-alb83.txt dms2alb83.prj <| Construct point features as a new GIS data set. Arc: |> generate gages5 <| Copyright (C) 1982-2006 Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. GENERATE 9.2 (Sun Sep 17 16:05:34 PDT 2006) Generate: |> input gages5-alb83.gen <| Generate: |> point <| Creating points with coordinates loaded from gages5-alb83.gen Generate: |> q <| Construct feature attribute table. Arc: |> build gages5 point <| Building points... Used Arcedit to add feature attribute STAID to gages5.pat and populate it with station ID numbers. Arc: |> build gages5 point <| Building points... Arc: |> list gages5.pat <| Record AREA PERIMETER GAGES5# GAGES5-ID STAID 1 0.000 0.000 1 7740 06774000 2 0.000 0.000 2 7960 06796000 3 0.000 0.000 3 7965 06796500 4 0.000 0.000 4 8010 06801000 5 0.000 0.000 5 8055 06805500 20080224 1857 Ronald B. Zelt U.S. Geological Survey Supv. Hydrologist physical address

5231 S 19th St

Lincoln NE 68512-1271 402-328-4100 rbzelt@usgs.gov prefer email. Dataset copied. d:\chd00\gis\gages5 Unknown Vector Entity point 5 Point 4 Albers Conical Equal Area 29.500000 45.500000 -96.000000 23.000000 0.000000 0.000000 coordinate pair 0.61 0.61 meters North American Datum of 1983 Geodetic Reference System 80 6378137.000000 298.257222 gages5.pat Point-feature attributes table U.S. Geological Survey FID Internal feature number. ESRI Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. -9999 Not applicable None planned Shape Feature Geometry ESRI Coordinates defining the features. -9999 Not applicable None planned AREA Area of feature in internal units squared. ESRI Area is always zero for point coverages. Values are automatically generated. -9999 Not applicable None planned PERIMETER Perimeter of feature in internal units. ESRI Perimeter is always zero for point coverages. Values are automatically generated. -9999 Not applicable None planned GAGES5# Internal feature number. ESRI Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated. -9999 Not applicable None planned GAGES5-ID Four digit number corresponding to the Station identification number U.S. Geological Survey 7960 Platte River at North Bend, Nebr. USGS 7740 Platte River near Duncan, Nebr. USGS 8055 Platte River at Louisville, Nebr. USGS 8010 Platte River near Ashland, Nebr. USGS 7965 Platte River near Leshara, Nebr. USGS -9999 Data visually inspected None planned STAID Station identifier number U.S. Geological Survey 06796000 Platte River at North Bend, Nebr. USGS 06774000 Platte River near Duncan, Nebr. USGS 06805500 Platte River at Louisville, Nebr. USGS 06801000 Platte River near Ashland, Nebr. USGS 06796500 Platte River near Leshara, Nebr. USGS -9999 Data visually inspected None planned Table names: CIS_Disc_Meas_Notes_Inventory and CIS_Disc_Meas_Details Structure: The Inventory table consists of 16 fields by 3,141 rows; and the Details table has 23 fields by 13,417 rows. Each row of the Inventory table corresponds to one U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discharge measurement. Each column represents a selected field on the Discharge Measurement and Gage Inspection Note (Form 9-275F), generally following the order of fields from left to right and top to bottom on page 1 of the form. There is some variability in the location of the fields on the Discharge Measurement Note form resulting from layout changes from revisions. Nevertheless, the data fields in the tables are standardized and can be referenced to the Discharge Measurement Note form. Each row of the Details table similarly corresponds to one detail record entry on a details page of Form 9-275F. Recorded measurements were entered into a computer spreadsheet without alteration. However, the values of calculated attributes were recalculated within the spreadsheet using consistent methods to remove the potential bias caused by a historical change in a standardized subsection computational procedure that occurred in 1950 (Rantz and others, 1982, p. 82). Also, a set of quality assurance procedures were applied to detect obvious errors or inconsistencies prior to data analysis (Ginting and Zelt, in press). Following detection of an error or inconsistency, a recorded value may have been replaced in a few cases where replacement by a correction was obvious. For the purpose of this metadata report, observation vertical (or vertical) refers to the point along a cross-section (the subsection midpoint) where a depth measurement, current velocity measurement, and observation of surface current direction (streamline) were made. History: Tables were built as MS-Excel spreadsheets and then loaded into MS-Access tables. *************** Attribute Descriptions for GAGES5.PAT **************** Attribute name: STAID Type: Text Width: 15 Definition: USGS Surface Water Station Identifier Number uniquely identifying the gaging station. The first two digits in the number series represent the major United States River Basin that contains the gaged stream. The remaining digits represent the relative location of the gaging station on the river with respect to other stations in the basin (the smaller the number, the further upstream the gage is located). The identifier numbers increase from upstream to downstream (R.B. Swanson, USGS, oral commun., 2007). Domain: STAID values are associated with the Missouri River Basin. Values range from 06774000 to 06805500. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. *************** Attribute Descriptions for CIS_Disc_Meas_Notes_Inventory table **************** Attribute name: ID Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Number refers to the row number on the spreadsheet. Domain: ID values range from 1 to 3,141. No numbers are duplicated. Accuracy: Verified in the original MS-Excel spreadsheet using a duplicate column of generated auto-numbers. Attribute name: STAID Type: Text Width: 15 Synonym: Station ID Number Definition: See STAID in GAGES5.PAT table Domain: Values range from 06774000 to 06805500. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Station Name Type: Text Width: 50 Definition: Station Name refers to a geographic location (rather than the numerical STAID) and is usually associated with the town that is nearest to the station. Domain: All Station Names reference the town nearest to the gaging station. Accuracy: Data visually inspected with the aid of a filter in MS-Excel. This filter explicitly listed the domain of unique values. Attribute Name: Discharge Measurement ID Number Type: Text Width: 6 Definition: Discharge Measurement ID Numbers generally are unique within the set of measurements referenced to each Station Name, with Louisville and Duncan as the exceptions. The Louisville gaging station was moved in October of 1961 to South Bend and then in September of 1973 relocated to the newly constructed Louisville bridge (same location as old bridge) (Hitch and others, 2002, p. 230). The first 20 measurements at the new Louisville bridge were given a measurement number consectutive with the South Bend Location. These 20 measurements were then re-numbered for the Louisville Bridge, the numbers starting over with "Louisville 1." Because the numbering system did not continue from the last number assigned to the Louisville Bridge site in 1961, but rather the numbers were re-started at #1, there exists 2 sets of numbers 1-20 at the same site location. It is suggested when looking at the data from the Louisville gage that the date be referenced each time to ensure that the user is referencing the time period intended. In contrast, several measurement notes at the Duncan site between October 2000 and September 2002 that have a Discharge Measurement Note ID Number followed by a letter. These measurements are interspersed between USGS Discharge Measurement Note numbers 1659-1667. This grouping of notes with the letter designation are measurement notes obtained from the State of Nebraska; Department of Water Resources (NEDWR); form number 1970. Because the dates of the notes from NEDWR fell between two USGS measurement notes, they were assigned the USGS note number immediately prior to the date on the incoming note and then suffixed with an alpha character distinguishing the note as having been measured from a non-USGS entity. A sequence of several consecutive NEDWR notes (with alpha-character designations) and several individual NEDWR notes are interspersed throughout the Duncan discharge notes (J.M. Sedlacek, T.P. Boyle, and D.L. Curtis, USGS, oral commun., 2007) The second occurrence of alphanumeric ID values occurs at the Louisville site; numbers 526A (7/16/2001), 527A (8/28/2001), 528B (9/12/2001), and 529A (11/13/2001). The alphanumerics in this case also indicate that they are NEDWR measurements. Note to Users: Two conditions occur where Discharge Measurement Note ID Number might be suffixed with an alpha indicator; first, when the note originated externally to the USGS, second, when more than one measurement was made at the same site on the same day (for instance, during a high flow event). Present procedure for "same day/ same site" measurements is to assign a new number to each measurement (including several in a single day associated with a hydrologic event), avoiding the previous practice of assigning an alpha character following the measurement number (T.P. Boyle, USGS, oral commun., 2007). Domain: Sequential identifier within each gaging station's set of records. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Date Type: Date/Time Width: 10 Definition: Calendar date when the discharge measurement occurred. Date formatted as mm/dd/yyyy. Domain: Ranges from 10/29/1934 through 9/26/2006. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Q (cfs) Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Calculated volumetric rate of streamflow, in cubic feet per second. Synonym: Discharge. These calculated values are also called the measured total discharge through a cross-section; equivalent to total cross-sectional area multiplied by average velocity in the downstream direction. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Standard USGS practice is to report discharge using a specific number of significant figures that varies by range of discharge. No rounding was applied to the calculated values included in this provisional data release. Accuracy: Discharge visually inspected. Individual measurement notes that were also entered into CIS_Disc_Meas_Details table were compared and revised when discrepancies were found. Attribute Name: Measurement Methodology Type: Text Width: 10 Definition: Code for the equipment and process used to make the discharge measurement. Domain: Bridge (B), Boat, Wade (W), Ice (I), Estimated (E, Est. or est.), Handline, Bridge Crane (BRG CRANE), Unknown (UKN), Gage (G). Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Distance from Gage Type: Text Width: 24 Definition: Distance between the measured section and the gaging station, in units specified (feet, miles). A negative value signifies a distance measured upstream from gaging station; positive value signifies a distance measured downstream from gaging station. Abbreviations: ft., feet; HWY, highway; UNK, unknown; yd., yards. Domain: Unrestricted numeric. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Quality of Measurement Type: Text Width: 6 Definition: A largely qualitative assessment of the conditions affecting the discharge measurement based on consideration of a combination of factors including streamflow conditions (magnitude and variation in velocity and direction), on-site and regional weather conditions (rain on site or upstream, snow), channel and section hydraulic control conditions [obstructions, dams (natural and man-made), ice, slush, debris, shore ice, fallen trees, large boulders, sand bars (especially under low flow conditions), natural riffles, rock ledge outcrops, and width constriction in the measuring section] concurrently with the technician's confidence in the determinations (measurements of water depth and current velocity) for each subsection (Sauer and Meyer, 1992). The measured cross section of a stream is divided into subsections. The points along the cross section where water depth and current velocity are determined are called observation verticals (or verticals). Surface direction of the current (flowlines) also is noted at each observation vertical (Rantz and others, 1982; M.J. Andersen, P.J. Soenksen, USGS, oral commun., 2007). When none of the subsection discharges composes more than 2 percent of the total discharge measured, and if environmental conditions at the time are ideal, the overall quality of measurement conditions may be rated as "Excellent." For example: If total discharge is 4000 cfs; 2 percent of the total discharge is 80 cfs. All individual subsection discharges should fall between 0 and 80 cfs for an Excellent rating. When none of the subsection discharges composes more than 5 percent of the total discharge measured, and if environmental conditions at the time are good to ideal, the overall quality of measurement conditions may be rated as "Good." When none of the subsection discharges composes more than 8 percent of the total discharge measured, and if environmental conditions at the time are fair to ideal, the overall quality of measurement conditions may be rated as "Fair." When environmental conditions are poor or some individual subsection discharges exceed 8 percent of the total discharge measured, the overall quality of measurement conditions should be rated as "Poor." Quality of Measurement ratings are not an assessment of the stream-gager's quality of effort, but rather an assessment of the environmental conditions, streamflow conditions, hydraulic control conditions, and measurement methodology at the time of the measurement (P.J. Soenksen, USGS, oral commun., 2007). Domain: Ratings are encoded as: Excellent (E), Good (G), Fair (F), Poor (P), and Unknown (UKN). Some measurements had been rated with a combination of ratings, such as G-F (good-fair), E-G (excellent-good), and F-P (fair-poor). Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Target Year Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Year of historical map or aerial photography coverage upon which is centered a multi-year time period that includes the selected discharge measurement. See Completeness Report for details of time periods as a screening criterion. Domain: The years 1938, 1955, 1971, 1993, and 2003 were designated as the Target Years. Accuracy: Verified using a series of quality checks and filters applied within the MS-Excel spreadsheet before loading the data into the MS-Access database. Attribute Name: Notes Type: Text Width: 255 Definition: Recorded notes about site characteristics and conditions at the time of measurement that might have affected streamflow or its measurement. Domain: Unrestricted text. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Key for table Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Indicates the order in which data were loaded; sorted by Station Name, then by the measurement note ID number. Because it uniquely identifies each discharge measurement, this field is the primary key for joining the two Access tables. Domain: Range is from 1 through 3,141. No numbers duplicated. Accuracy: Verified by generating and comparing two rows of autonumbers. Attribute Name: High Flow Condition1 Type: Logical (Yes/No) Width: 1 Definition: Flag to identify discharge measurements that were included in the high flow condition subset reported in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Encoded as: Yes, included measurement; No, excluded measurement. Domain: Yes or No Accuracy: Verified by cross-check with Table 1 in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Attribute Name: Median Flow Condition1 Type: Logical (Yes/No) Width: 1 Definition: Flag to identify discharge measurements that were included in the median flow condition subset reported in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Encoded as: Yes, included measurement; No, excluded measurement. Domain: Yes or No Accuracy: Verified by cross-check with Table 1 in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Attribute Name: Low Flow Condition1 Type: Logical (Yes/No) Width: 1 Definition: Flag to identify discharge measurements that were included in the low flow condition subset reported in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Encoded as: Yes, included measurement; No, excluded measurement. Domain: Yes or No Accuracy: Verified by cross-check with Table 1 in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Attribute Name: Measurement Included Type: Logical (Yes/No) Width: 1 Definition: Flag used to identify discharge measurements that were included in the analysis reported in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Encoded as: Yes, included measurement; No, excluded measurement. Domain: Yes or No Accuracy: Verified by cross-check with Appendix 1 in Ginting and Zelt (in press). ******* The remaining attributes are found in the CIS_Disc_Meas_Details table ******* Attribute name: ID Type: AutoNumber Width: Long Integer Definition: Number refers to the row number in the data table. Domain: In this data set, no numbers are duplicated. Accuracy: Generated by MS-Access. Attribute name: Station ID Number Type: Text Width: 15 Definition: USGS Surface Water Station Identifier Number (STAID) uniquely identifying the gaging station. The first two digits in the number series represent the major United States River Basin that contains the gaged stream. The remaining digits represent the relative location of the gaging station on the river with respect to other stations in the basin (the smaller the number, the further upstream the gage is located). The identifier numbers increase from upstream to downstream (R.B. Swanson, USGS, oral commun., 2007). Domain: See STAID. Values range from 06774000 to 06805500. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Discharge Measurement ID Number Type: Number Width: 6 Definition: Discharge Measurement ID Numbers generally are unique within the set of measurements referenced to each Station Name, with Louisville and Duncan as the exceptions. The Louisville gaging station was moved in October of 1961 to South Bend and then in September of 1973 relocated to the newly constructed Louisville bridge (same location as old bridge) (Hitch and others, 2002, p. 230). The first 20 measurements at the new Louisville bridge were given a measurement number consecutive with the South Bend Location. These 20 measurements were also given "alias" ID numbers as the first measurements at the "new" Louisville gage; the alias numbers are 1-20. Because the numbering system did not continue from the last measurement number assigned to a Louisville measurement in 1961, but rather the count was re-started at #1, there exist two overlapping sets of measurement ID numbers for this gaging station. It is suggested for users of the data from the Louisville gage to carefully reference both the measurement year and the ID number to ensure that the correct or intended measurement is being accessed. Domain: Whole numbers placed in order of measurement according to the date the measurement was taken. In the case of duplicate numbers alphabetical suffixes were used (100A, 100B). Accuracy: Data visually inspected Attribute Name: Msmt Year Type: Text Width: 6 Definition: Calendar year when the discharge measurement occurred. Domain: Ranges from 1934 through 2006. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Station Name Type: Text Width: 50 Definition: Station Name refers to a geographic location (rather than the numerical STAID) and is usually associated with the town nearest to the station. Domain: All Station Names reference the town nearest to the gaging station. Accuracy: Data visually inspected. Attribute Name: Flow Magnitude Condition Type: Text Width: 8 Definition: Flow Condition refers to one of three categories of streamflow magnitude; low, median and high flows (see Completeness Report): high flows (near the discharge exceeded an average of 99 times per 100 years), median flows (near the discharge equaled or exceeded on 50 percent of all days), and low flows (near the discharge equaled or exceeded on 84 percent of all days). Using methods described in Ginting and others (in press), a discharge value for each flow condition was determined. Measured discharges that were within 10 percent of the calculated values of one of these flow-condition categories were considered to have satisfied the flow-condition criterion required for further consideration in the analysis of hydraulic habitat characteristics. See the Completeness Report section (Data Quality chapter) for details on all qualifying criteria. Domain: Low, Median, High Accuracy: The accuracy is dependent on the accuracy of the measured discharges, because the conditions were assigned according to the discharge values of the individual measurements. Attribute Name: Distance from Initial Point (zero on left bank) Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Measured distance from an established starting point to the observation vertical (midpoint of subsection). Distance units are feet. By convention, values increase along cross section from left bank to right bank (when observer is facing downstream). Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Data entry verified according to the measurement field notes. Attribute Name: Depth Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Measured water depth, in feet, at corresponding observation vertical. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Data entry verified according to the measurement field notes. Attribute Name: Observation 1 Depth Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Encodes the relative depth at which a point measurement of current velocity was made. Relative depth units were encoded as a proportion of the total water depth at the corresponding observation vertical, and observation depth was measured down from the water surface. One or two current velocity measurements generally were made at each observation vertical, dependent upon the water depth at the vertical and the type of equipment used for the measurement. When using a Pygmy meter, water depths of less than 1.5 feet normally require one current velocity measurement at six-tenths (0.6) of total depth. Water depths of 1.5 feet or more normally require two current velocity measurements, made at two-tenths (0.2) and eight-tenths (0.8) of total depth. When using a Price AA meter, water depths of less than 2.5 feet normally require one current velocity measurement at six-tenths (0.6) of total depth. Water depths of 2.5 feet or more normally require two current velocity measurements, made at two-tenths (0.2) and eight-tenths (0.8) of total depth. (Sources: Rantz and others, 1982; USGS Tech. Memorandum SW89.07, June 1999) Domain: 0.6, 0.2, or 0.8 Accuracy: Data entry verified according to the measurement field notes. Attribute Name: Observation 1 Velocity Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Measured current velocity at the point indicated by the associated relative depth (Observation 1 Depth) along the observation vertical, in feet per second. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Data entry verified per measurement field note. Attribute Name: Observation 2 Depth Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Encodes the relative depth at which a point measurement of current velocity was made. Relative depth units were encoded as a proportion of the total water depth at the corresponding observation vertical, and observation depth was measured down from the water surface. One or two current velocity measurements generally were made at each observation vertical, dependant upon the water depth at the vertical and the type of equipment used for the measurement. See Observation 1 Depth for details. Domain: 0.2 or 0.8 Accuracy: Data entry verified according to the measurement field notes. Attribute Name: Observation 2 Velocity Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Measured current velocity at the point indicated by the associated relative depth (Observation 2 Depth) along the observation vertical, in feet per second. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Data entry verified per measurement field note. Attribute Name: Vertical Profile Coefficient Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Applied coefficient to adjust a measured point velocity, when measured at a depth other than the three standard depths (0.2, 0.6, and 0.8 of total depth), to determine the mean velocity of the vertical profile. Typically this adjustment might be used to correct the measured surface velocity(ies) of a floating object(s) to estimate the mean velocity of the vertical profile. The standard adjustment coefficients are presented by Rantz and others (1982, p. 133) based on the theoretical logarithmic vertical-velocity profile. Domain: Valid range is from 0 through 1. Accuracy: Data entry verified per measurement field note. Attribute Name: Horizontal Angle Coefficient Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Coefficient to adjust mean current velocity for instances of nonorthogonalilty between the cross-section line and the current streamline. The coefficient is the cosine of angle formed between streamline direction and cross-section line. In preparation for calculating discharge, the cosine of the angle is multiplied by the mean velocity measured for the subsection to determine the velocity component normal to the cross section (Rantz and others, 1983). Domain: Ranges from 0.0 to 1.0 Accuracy: Data entry verified per measurement field note. Attribute Name: Cross Section Notes Type: Text Width: 255 Definition: Notations of flow interruptions, channel features, and method descriptions recorded by the hydrographer. Abbreviations used: Est., estimated; REI, Right Edge of Island; LEI, Left Edge of Island; RES, Right Edge of Sandbar; LES, Left Edge of Sandbar; REW, Right Edge of Water; LEW, Left Edge of Water. Domain: Unrestricted text. Accuracy: Data entry verified per measurement field note. Attribute Name: Width Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Calculated width of subsection, in feet, along the cross section line. Value was calculated using the midsection method that has been the standard USGS procedure for discharge calculation since 1950 (Rantz and others, 1982). A subsection extends from midway between two observation verticals to midway between one of the initial two verticals and its other adjacent neighboring vertical. Thus each observation vertical is located at the midpoint of its respective subsection. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Verified per calculation formula and checked against field note whenever the sum of subsection widths (total wetted width) differed from measurement field note. Attribute Name: Velocity Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Calculated mean current velocity of subsection, in feet per second, normal to the cross section. Values have accounted for multiple point-velocity measurements in the vertical profile, and been adjusted using horizontal angle coefficient. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Verified per calculation formula and checked against field note whenever the mean subsection velocity differed from measurement field note. Attribute Name: Area Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Calculated cross-sectional area of subsection, in square feet. Area is equal to midsection water depth multiplied by subsection width. Domain: Unrestricted positive numeric. Accuracy: Verified per calculation formula and checked against field note whenever the sum of subsection areas (total cross-sectional area) differed from measurement field note. Attribute Name: Target Year Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Year of historical map or aerial photography coverage upon which is centered a multi-year time period that includes the selected discharge measurement. See Completeness Report for details of time periods as a screening criterion. Domain: The years 1938, 1955, 1971, 1993, and 2003 were designated as the Target Years. Accuracy: Verified using a series of quality checks and filters applied within the MS-Excel spreadsheet before loading the data into the MS-Access database. Attribute Name: Key for Measurement Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Order of data input of detail records. Count begins again for each unique streamflow measurement. Domain: Values auto-generated using MS-Excel prior to loading spreadsheet into MS-Access table. Accuracy: Verified through replicate generation of sequence and cross-check prior to loading into MS-Access table. Attribute Name: Key for MS-Access DB Type: Number Width: double precision Definition: Sort order of all data in the spreadsheet. Domain: Values auto-generated using MS-Excel prior to loading spreadsheet into MS-Access table. Accuracy: Verified through replicate generation of sequence and cross-check prior to loading into MS-Access table. Attribute Name: Measurement Included Type: Text Width: 4 Definition: Code used to identify discharge measurements that were included in the analysis reported in Ginting and Zelt (in press). Encoded as: X, included measurement; blank, excluded measurement. Domain: X or blank. Accuracy: Populated via MS-Access Update Query for records that matched by STAID and measurement ID number any "included" measurement in the CIS_Disc_Meas_Notes_Inventory table. Attribute Name: Key for Inventory Type: Number Width: long integer Definition: Indicates the associate record in the Inventory table, where the same value is stored in the "Key for table" field. Because it uniquely identifies each discharge measurement, this field is the primary key for joining the two MS-Access tables. Domain: Range is from 1 through 3,141. No numbers duplicated. Accuracy: Populated via MS-Access Update Query for records that matched by STAID and measurement ID number any "included" measurement in the CIS_Disc_Meas_Notes_Inventory table. Not Available U.S. Geological Survey Ask USGS -- Water Webserver Team mailing address

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Reston VA 20192 USA 1-888-275-8747 (1-888-ASK-USGS) http://water.usgs.gov/user_feedback_form.html Provisional data release. "Lower_Platte_GAGES5" has not received Bureau approval and as such are provisional and subject to revision. Although these data have been used by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey as to the accuracy of the data. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data, software, or related materials. The use of firm, trade, or brand names in this report is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. The names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners. ArcGIS coverage Winzip 0.055 http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/dsdl/lower_platte_GAGES5.zip None. This dataset is provided by USGS as a public service. 1934 2006 20080730 U.S. Geological Survey Ask USGS -- Water Webserver Team mailing

445 National Center

Reston VA 20192 1-888-275-8747 (1-888-ASK-USGS) http://water.usgs.gov/user_feedback_form.html FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001-1998 local time http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html ESRI Metadata Profile