Historic (pre-2007) gage-height data may contain erroneous values,
such as pressure sensors encased in ice, even if they are flagged as
approved. These data are made available to the public, but data users
are cautioned to carefully screen the data and contact the USGS Kansas
Water Science Center if they have questions or concerns about specific
values.
** During winter months the realtime streamflow displayed may not
reflect the true discharge for periods when ice forms in the stream.
When ice forms, the river cross-section is constricted and produces a
higher river stage for any given amount of discharge that exists during
ice-free periods. This condition is known as backwater. Although
accurate themselves, the river stages can no longer be used to
accurately and directly compute discharge from the rating curve (which
relates stage to discharge) because the amount of backwater varies with
time, temperature, and other factors. More complex procedures that
require the use of meteorological and hydrological data from other
stations in the area must be used to determine discharge at the
affected stations. Unfortunately, these more complex procedures cannot
yet be applied in real time. Additional, ice forming in the channel can
result in erroneous readings as the instrumentation in the stream is
adversely affected by the ice generally resulting in an erroneously
higher stage reading. While every attempt is made to screen erroneous
data from the realtime display, this data is considered provisional and
should be used with caution.
*** There are no data available on the Waterdata system for the time period specified,
although data may be available in the files of the local USGS office operating the station.