All the Suwannee River Basin USGS gages in Georgia just got a new flood level reporting system (except they missed one). They’ve added a level measurement from sea level, probably not coincidentally about the same as the Florida gages added a level measurement from dry riverbed, so both Georgia and Florida gages now have both measurements. This actually does not affect the WWALS level charts for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail nor for the Alapaha River Water Trail, because those continue to display water levels from dry riverbed. To see this change at all, you have to drill down to the USGS detail pages, for example on the Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge Road in Georgia, or near Pinetta, Florida.

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Tallahassee, FL, unknown date, Suwannee River Basin Datum Changes in South Central Georgia,

Starting on October 14, 2015, the National Weather Service in Tallahassee and Jacksonville will make adjustments to the reporting method for water level in the Suwannee River System. This includes river gages in the following rivers or creeks:

• Alapaha River
• Little River
• Withlacoochee River (in GA only)
• Suwannee River (in GA only)
• Okapilco Creek

Current Measuring System: South Georgia

In addition to the old reporting system, which shows water levels from the dry river bed:

New Reporting System: South Georgia

They added a new reporting system, which shows water levels from sea level:

Current Reporting System: Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge

They give an example of the Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge, north of Valdosta. Old style:

New Flood Example: Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge

New style, from sea level:

VDSG1: Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge Road

This reporting change also involves changing the flood stage reporting. Conversion table:

VDSG1_rounded: Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge Road

Conversion table with rounded new sea level numbers:

Conversions for the rest of the gages

The announcement includes links to figures for flood level conversions all the rest of the gages.

Little River:

• Near Tifton: unrounded, rounded
• Near Adel: unrounded, rounded,
• Near Hahira, unrounded, rounded,

Withlacoochee River:

• At Skipper Bridge, unrounded, rounded,
• At US 41: unrounded, rounded

Okapilco Creek:

• Near Quitman: unrounded, rounded.

Alapaha River:

• Near Irwinville: unrounded, rounded,
• Near Alapaha: unrounded, rounded,
• Near Statenville: unrounded, rounded,

Suwannee River:

• Near Fargo: unrounded, and they gave no rounded example.

So what did they miss?

Actually, they missed two:

• Little River at Upper Ty Ty Road, which nonetheless does have the new sea level chart.
• USGS 02314495 SUWANNEE RIVER ABOVE FARGO, GA. That’s a bit upstream from Fargo, at 30°42’27” N 82°32’21” W. Maybe that’s outside NWS Tallahassee’s coverage area. In any case, that gage does not show a sea level chart.

Thanks to Tim Carroll for the tip about this reporting change.

-jsq

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