The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains over 8,000 streamgages across the U.S. Streamgages in Illinois are operated by the USGS Illinois-Iowa Water Science Center (USGS IL-IA WSC). Gage-height data at many USGS streamgages were collected on paper-punch tapes during the period of 1965 to 1985 in Illinois. These data were not saved in the National Water Information System (NWIS) due to lack of sufficient computer storage at that time. The USGS IL-IA WSC currently has the equivalent of 2,049 years of data from 152 streamgages on paper tapes stored at the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) Federal Records Center that are not in NWIS. All of these data need to be stored in NWIS for public use before the tapes deteriorate and before Mitron Systems paper-tape readers, which are currently not manufactured or supported, become completely inoperative. A portion of the gage-height data collection has been transferred to NWIS for this release project and is available to users upon request (see contact information below for details). The released data are raw paper tape data collected at one streamgage station (Friends Creek at Argenta, Illinois: USGS station number 05572450) during an eleven year period, 1971-1982.
Recovery of gage-height data from paper tapes would make those data available to policy makers, resource managers, and researchers to (1) improve understanding of the Nation’s freshwater resources, (2) improve stream hazard predictions for safeguarding people and property, (3) improve understanding of long-term changes in water resources and its impacts on ecosystems, and (4) better understand climate change by understanding the changes in water resources over space and time. Recovery would also enhance the value of prior stream-gaging efforts. The USGS has many projects that require gage-height data, projects such as flood inundation, flood frequency, and hydraulic modeling. Recovering gage-height data will improve project results and ensure these data are available for science and future projects.
These data are a subset of a much larger collection. This project will be releasing gage data from one station (Friends Creek at Argenta, Illinois: USGS station number 05572450) over the 11 year period, 1971-1982. The results of this project will provide estimates of the time and effort required to digitize and disseminate the entire collection.
Although there were other manufacturers of paper-tape readers, such as Leopold & Stevens, Inc. and Enviro-Labs Inc., the Mitron Reader is the only known operational reader. See Mitron disclaimer in distribution liability section below.
Because NWIS is the principal repository that will house this USGS stream-gage data, the data and files will follow NWIS standards. NWIS will hold the raw data as well as an associated metadata record.
