USGS provides current Streamflow and Lake-Level conditions on the Internet

For the first time in the Caribbean, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has made available current streamflow and lake-level information via the internet. Current conditions are available for 75 streamflow gaging stations and 16 lake-level stations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Information is provided for streamflow conditions at streams such as the Río Grande de Arecibo, Río de la Plata, and Río Grande de Loíza, and for water levels at lakes such as Lago Guajataca, Lago la Plata, and Lago Carraízo. To access this information, point your web browser to the Caribbean District home page at:

http://pr.water.usgs.gov/

Each station transmits the data via satellite to the USGS Caribbean District office in the San Juan area. During normal operation, each station transmits every 4 hours and during extreme hydrologic events, such as floods, the stations transmit approximately every 5 minutes. The data are received by a ground-station, automatically processed, and made available on the internet at the USGS World Wide Web site in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

In addition to the current streamflow conditions, the USGS home page for the Caribbean District offers access to historical streamflow information for all current and discontinued streamflow gaging stations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Periods of record vary depending on the station, however, more than 35 years of records exist for many stations and a few have more than 50 years of records. The information is part of an effort by all USGS offices to disseminate near- realtime and historical streamflow data via the internet. Information on the water resources of the United States can be obtained at http://water.usgs.gov/

The current streamflow information relayed by satellite is released on the internet as soon as it is received. Because the information has not been reviewed or edited, it is considered provisional and may be subject to significant change and is not citable until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Near-realtime streamflow data may be changed after review because the stage-discharge relationship may have been affected by backwater effects, changes in the stream channel, or malfunction of recording equipment. Therefore, users are cautioned to consider the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences.

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