USGS water information on the Internet Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 10:27:09 -0400 To: "E - All WRD Employees" From: "Robert M Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, Reston, VA" (Robert M. Hirsch) Subject: USGS water information on the Internet Cc: "Gordon P Eaton Reston, VA" , "Bonnie McGregor Reston, VA" , "Barbara J Ryan Reston, VA" , "Robert M Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, Reston, VA" , "P. Patrick Leahy, Chief Geologist, Reston, VA" , "Richard E Witmer Reston, VA" , "William F Gossman Jr. Reston, VA" , "Linda D Stanley Reston, VA" , "Pamela R Malam Reston, VA" , "Katherine F Lins Reston, VA" , "Douglas R Posson Denver, CO" , "Thomas J Casadevall Menlo Park, CA" , "Timothy J West Reston, VA" , "Michael P McDermott Reston, VA" , "Martin Eckes Reston, VA" , "Donovan B Kelly Reston, VA" , "Gary W Hill Reston, VA" , "Norman E Gunderson Reston, VA" , "James F Devine Reston, VA" , pdresler@ios.doi.gov To: All WRD employees From: Robert M. Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist Subject: USGS water information on the Internet I continue to be impressed every time I go to look for some WRD information on the World Wide Web and find that some new product or feature has been developed. Many of you have devoted a great deal of creativity and effort to this new means of getting our products out. You might be interested to know that the USGS as a whole is one of the largest Federal government servers of information on the Internet. In WRD alone, we serve more than one million pages per month, which are viewed/visited/read by more than 40,000 people each month. That's impressive. One of the great things about the Internet is that we not only get to disseminate our data and other products easily to a wide spectrum of potential users, but we also have an easy way to get feedback. Every few months, Ken Lanfear, our WRD webmaster, collects a set of the "best of" our World Wide Web feedback. The following is a brief excerpt from his latest set. I wanted to share it with all of you because it is really a thank you note from the public to every one of you. I have read it several times and get a lot of pleasure from reading it. I hope you do, too. You deserve it. Here goes!! ============================= Was just viewing your ag chemical use site (http://h2o.usgs.gov/public/pubs/bat/bat000.html#HDR11) -wow- from the standpoint of an agricultural chemical data user, it is really well done- real content available and no glitz (like building photos, other impediments often seen in other Fed. dept's pages). Kudos to the web designer, and also to whoever thought this important enough to pay for it. ================================= Hi! I found your site by leaping from the American Whitewater Affiliation's page. I'm very impressed. I've put a link to your site on my Web page ... The design of your pages is very clean and elegant. I've only recently gotten into whitewater rafting (1993: Salmon River, Idaho), but I'm making up for lost time. I love the sport and consider that the services you provide to be wonderful enhancements; the kind of thing I like to have my tax dollars spent on. My oldest brother is in the US Forest Service in Oregon; I'm going to let him know about your site too. Thank you for caring enough to do a great job! Marina, rafter ================================== It's very exciting to see this data available without making a 2-3 hour drive to a library. I'm going to look for very specific data for a gaging station in Hawaii from 1991 through 1995. If I find it (and can download it) you folks will have saved me an immense effort (and money). I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for getting me this far! margaret. ================================== This is GREAT! The availability of this data on-line is very useful. ....again my appreciation as a hydrologist for the availability of the historic streamflow data. Loyd, hydrologist =========================================== Just want to let you know that I think your web pages which allow retrieval of daily streamflow values are fantastic. It sure beats using JCL and WATSTORE...... P.S. Disseminating water resources data via the Internet is a great example of the public receiving a worthwhile service from their tax dollars. Keep up the good work! Mike, Hydraulic Engineer, Vienna, Virginia =========================================== This is a great system, I am glad to have found it! You are doing a great job. I am an engineer with the USDA, NRCS, and I work in water resources... Keep up the good work...... Mike, Civil engineer =================================== I would like to compliment you on the superb job you all have done. The streamflow data I was seeking was easily and quickly accessed on the internet. Thank you very much. Michael =================================== I am an avid boater and am also a ranger at Canyonlands National Park. My job involves management of the Green and Colorado Rivers (Cataract Canyon) in the park. I find your up to the minute streamflow information to be invaluable in checking flow levels and making appropriate management decisions pertaining to use of the rivers by the public. Keep up the good work. Thanks, Paul, ranger/boater ================================= Wow! I added your site to my HOTLIST.......For those of us who were raised in the West and hiked the Grand Canyon, I always wondered whether the floods would ever return. I'm glad to see that there were some forward thinkers in the USGS, who worried about the future of the Canyon and how man had forever changed the face of the Canyon. The WEB page is wonderful- makes for excellent classroom science discussions. My 7th grade son's class is spending several days on this. I"ll send everything I got off this page to his school tomorrow. Thanks. Ken, Bethesda ================================= Incredible work, folks!! It makes the old fashioned way seem like a bad dream. It makes my arguments for maintaining the USGS stream gauge network somewhat easier to make. cheers Peter =============================== Wow - I am impressed. You guys have done a great job in getting these data up on the internet. It has been very useful to me in getting historical streamflow data for a variety of sites! Thanks! John =============================== I find your pages extremely useful, simple, easy to use, and an appropriate use of public dollars to getting legitimate information out to those who need them. The hard work you're doing is appreciated by a lot of people from all walks of life, it's certainly a good reason to have internet capability, and I appreciate you. Keep it up, folks! No need to reply. Guy, senior hydrogeologist Washington Department of Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program =============================== These USGS stream gage pages are truly great. So much, too much of all the stuff on the web is a total waste of time and effort. Your stuff however, has real substance. =============================== Thanks for providing this fine page. We use the realtime hydrologic data frequently here at the National Weather Service in Shreveport. Matt, Forecaster NWSO SHV ********************************************************** * Robert M. Hirsch Phone: 703/648-5215 * * Chief Hydrologist Fax: 703/648-5002 * * 409 National Center Internet: rhirsch@usgs.gov * * U.S. Geological Survey * * Reston, VA 20192 * **********************************************************