PROGRAMS AND PLANS -- Transmittal of an Instrumentation Plan for the Water Resources Division and the Water Resources Division Hydrologic Field Instrumentation and Equipment Policy and Guidelines

(The Instrumentation Plan included with the original memo is not available here.)


In Reply Refer To:                                 May 15, 1995
Mail Stop 405

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION MEMORANDUM NO. 95.35

SUBJECT:  PROGRAMS AND PLANS -- Transmittal of an Instrumentation Plan for
          the Water Resources Division and the Water Resources Division 
          Hydrologic Field Instrumentation and Equipment Policy and Guidelines

This memorandum transmits an Instrumentation Plan for the 
Water Resources Division (WRD) and the WRD Hydrologic Field Instrumentation 
and Equipment Policy and Guidelines.  The Instrumentation Plan is the 
Instrumentation Committee's (ICOM) and the Instrumentation Technical Advisory 
Subcommittee's (ITAS) response to a request for a long-range instrumentation 
plan.  The Plan serves as the basis for the Policy and Guidelines which was 
prepared by the ICOM in response to the Plan's recommendations.

The ICOM and ITAS represent all WRD offices with instrumentation needs 
and/or responsibilities.  The roles of the committees have been significantly 
broadened from oversight of the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) 
to coordination of all WRD instrumentation support activities.  The process 
steps to be followed in this coordination are documented in the Instrument 
Plan.  The responsibilities for carrying out the processes are defined in the 
Policy and Guidelines.  The Instrumentation Plan's primary observation is that 
many WRD organization units are involved in one or more processes steps 
(requirements, development, testing, documentation, etc.) yet no single unit 
has responsibility or provides coordination for all steps.  A summary of the 
Plan's recommendations and the resulting actions in response to the lack of 
prior coordination are listed below.

o  WRD should insure an appropriate level of financial support for its 
instrument development process.  The ICOM has been given funds in fiscal year 
1995 to support priority projects.

o  The roles and responsibilities in WRD's instrument development process 
should be defined.  The Policy and Guidelines provides the definitions.  ICOM 
is delegated responsibility for coordinating hydrologic field Instrumentation 
development in WRD.

o  WRD should enhance its current mechanisms for guidance and coordination 
of the instrument development process.  ICOM has added to its membership,
representatives of the major thrust programs and has been holding topical
meetings to insure the instrument needs and efforts of the thrust programs
are identified.  ICOM has identified and funded a number of benchmark instrument 
projects.  The projects will be coordinated using the process steps defined in 
the Policy and Guidelines.

o  WRD should emphasize documentation of its instrumentation.  The Instrument 
Plan identifies the documentation required.  ICOM will not certify a project 
complete until the documentation is written and reviewed.

The Policy and Guidelines call for ICOM, assisted by ITAS, to identify WRD 
instrument needs and to prioritize, assign, and monitor critical instrumentation
projects.  In addition to defining policy for WRD instrumentation support, the
Policy and Guidelines document also identifies the operational responsibilities
for the HIF and for the Federal Interagency Sediment Project.

We invite your review of the attached documents which provide the roadmap 
for WRD Instrumentation Support.  Please direct your questions, comments, and 
suggestions to your representative on the ICOM or to William Shope at 
703/648-5364, or send electronic mail to WGSHOPE.

                                    Catherine L. Hill
                                    Assistant Chief Hydrologist
                                    for Operations

Attachment

This memorandum does not supersede any previous WRD memorandum.

Distribution:   A, B, S, FO, PO