Slide 5 shows the number of USGS streamgages discontinued each year from 1980 through 2004 that had at least 30 years of streamflow record when they were discontinued. The USGS uses a value of 30 years of streamflow record to designate long-term streamgages that are more valuable for assessments of trends and of the effects of land use, water use, and climate changes. There are several important things to note on Slide 5. First is that the loss of long-term streamgages is quite variable through time. The second is that there have been recent years with losses of over 150 of these important streamgages. Third, the funding increase for NSIP in 2001 is very noticeable in the decrease of the loss of these long-term streamgages; and lastly the rate of loss from 2003 to 2004 is the greatest over the last 25 years (from 56 lost in 2003 to 122 lost in 2004).

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