GARDEN CITY, Idaho — Every year scientists rely on water gauges to track river flows on the Boise River. Without the technology, multiple agencies wouldn't be able to track the river CFS (Cubic feet per second).
- Hydrologists with the National Weather Service relay information to other entities to gauge how much water should go through.
- A cubic foot is about the size of a basketball.
- These gauges were key in years like 2017 to inform people of floods.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
You may notice it near the Greenbelt in Garden City, A large tan structure near the Boise River but to scientists it's vital.
“This is probably the most important piece of technology on the Boise River as far as us showing what's happening with the river, how high it’s getting,” said Troy Lindquist service hydrologist with the National Weather Service.
Troy Lindquist is a hydrologist with the National Weather Service and works with multiple agencies across the Treasure Valley to track water flows through the Boise River.
“The National Weather Service uses this information to determine when we are going to issue a flood warning,” said Lindquist.
This information was vital for years like 2017 when high snowpack and water levels caused flooding.
“For example, here on the Greenbelt, you can see from past years when the waters gotten high these high-water marks where it has kind of stained the concrete, and that shows the water level at that particular time,” said Lindquist.
That year water was flowing close to 10,000 CFS or cubic feet per second. A cubic foot is about the size of a basketball so imagine 10,000 basketballs rushing under the Glenwood bridge in a single second. All of this information is key when the river levels change rapidly.
Along with tracking how much water is flowing using this gauge here, they also track how high the river is going. Take a look at how high it has gotten, usually during the wintertime it's sitting at about 3 feet, currently sitting at about 5 feet and by the end of this week the river could see another 12 inches of water tacked on.
“When we go up to 2,000 feet that river level will come up to about 6 feet,” said Lindquist.
But it would take an extra 5,000 CFS to get close to the level where the National Weather Service would issue a flood, it isn't expected to reach that level this season, but this information is crucial when spring flows start to come.
“And that's a valuable tool for emergency managers, folks in the city of Boise that want to be prepared when the river levels start to come up,” said Lindquist.
