which green river gauge is right?
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URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12784
Printed Date: 21 Sep 2025 at 12:29pm
Topic: which green river gauge is right?
Posted By: jerryclayross
Subject: which green river gauge is right?
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 10:22am
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Hey all, So, I'm confused. I'm always interested in getting on the Green River since it's so close to home, but it seems like there are three different gauges showing flow levels. For example, right now... headworks section says- 1120 upper & lower gorge says- 484 yo-yo section says-- 1070 Anyone know why this is? Is there a split in the river above the gorge I don't know about that carries about 600 CFS? Thanks for helping out an ignorant fella:) |
Replies:
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 10:45am
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Use whatever gauge you want to use. The headworks section right now is using the gauge of the outflow from Howard Hanson, that number is skewed because water is diverted out for city water supply. Right now around 600 cfs is diverted. 484 is the gauge at purification plant which is where most people put in for the headworks, technically that is the number that reflects most of the headworks portion although you can get a pass and put in higher where that 1070 number reflects. Not sure if you can run above the diversion though, I doubt it. The yo yo is the gauge in auburn 1070. From Kanaskat Palmer, to Auburn you have side tribs, and creeks that come in, Icey, Soos, etc.. Those add 586 cfs right now. Just the creek at Paradise that makes that nice little water fall is probably close to 20 -50 cfs more at high times and then you have plenty of other side creeks and streams along the way. Soos Creek and ICy are the biggest though. Soos is below the yoyo stretch but a better indicator then the upper gorge gauge. Here is a table of data that might help you make more sense of it.
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Green/Duwamish River BasinPosted By: jerryclayross
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 10:57am
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Awesome! Thanks James. So basically, the upper and lower gorge numbers are most useful for the headworks, and gorge sections? Thanks for shredding some light on this. |
Posted By: jalmquist
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 12:36pm
| Also worth keeping an eye on the dates of the listed gauge readings... Note that the 1120cfs you're seeing as the reading from below HHD is not current, and is therefore pretty useless info (unless you're interested in what was being released from HHD back on December 3rd, 2012...) I've always found the Purification Plant reading the best indicator for gorge and yo yo levels, as that gauge is below the Tacoma diversion and above those creeks that James mentions (of which both Newaukum and Soos are pretty sizable - especially during periods of good rain). And the Auburn gauge is below those creeks... |
Posted By: Mark47n
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2013 at 3:13pm
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I usually find the Purification gauge to be the most reliable for the Headworks section. Just my $.02. ------------- You mean I'm supposed to wear something UNDER my spray skirt? Where's the fun in that? |
Posted By: Mr.Grinch
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2013 at 10:19pm
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Wouldn't the purification chart be the best starting point to gauge the gorge at all? If the biggest (metered) inflows are below the Yo-Yo, would it not be safe to make a few educated guesses based on the Auburn minus creek inflow in comparison to post Tacoma withdrawal? Overall, it will only increase in flow as one progresses down the gorge, as is the nature of things. Is my reasoning correct? ------------- nnln. |