Gauges 101 - The Gauley River

Introduction

This document is an attempt to help boaters understand the overall hydrology of the Gauley River and, hopefully, give them an understanding of how to interpret the various USGS gauges. The information is based on my personal knowledge of the Gauley Watershed, my observations over the past 10-15 years and comments from others in the paddling community.

Please send any feedback to me at chuck@thebrabecs.com.

Watershed Overview

The Gauley River begins in Pocahontas County, WV near Jerryville. On its way to Summersville Lake, the Gauley is joined by the Williams River (near Cowen, WV), the Cranberry River (near Craigsville, WV) and the Cherry River (also near Craigsville, WV). Several smaller streams and creeks add their water to the Gauley upstream of Summersville Lake. These rivers and streams are all natural flow and are dependent on snowmelt and rainfall.

Below Summersville Lake/Dam, the flow is determined largely by the how much water is released from Summersville Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and how much water is flowing into the Gauley from the Meadow River. Other smaller streams also add their flow to the Gauley in this section. These streams can add significant water during periods of heavy rain.

The Gauley River merges with the New River in the town of Gauley Bridge, WV. From that point downstream, the river is known as the Kanawha River.

Important Gauges above Summersville Lake

The most important gauge for determining how much water is coming into Summersville Lake is the USGS gauge near Craigsville, WV. This gauge reflects how much water has come down the Gauley, Williams, Cranberry and Cherry Rivers. The gauge is located where Route 20 crosses the Gauley River (at the confluence of the Gauley and Cherry). However, this gauge doesn’t tell us what the flow/level is on each of the major tributaries. We get that information from the USGS gauges on the Williams at Dyer, the Gauley near Camden-on-Gauley and the Cranberry near Richwood. The only gauge on the Cherry River is the painted paddler’s gauge on the old bridge piling on river left behind the Fenwick Post Office.

Important Gauges below Summersville Lake

The most important USGS gauges are the ones below Summersville Dam, on the Meadow River at Mt. Lookout (just upstream of the confluence of the Meadow and Gauley Rivers) and the Gauley River above Belva. Another USGS gauge of importance (especially during periods of moderate to heavy rains) is the one on Peters Creek near Lockwood.

How the COE manages the flow from Summersville Dam

Summersville Dam is used primarily for flood control. The lake level is held at approximately 1575 feet elevation in the winter and 1652 feet during the summer. The COE monitors the level of Summersville Lake and adjusts how much water they release through the dam on a day-to-day basis. The minimum flow is 100 cfs. Additional water is released in the fall to bring the lake down to winter pool and less water is released in the spring to bring the lake up to summer pool.

“Gauley season” marks the beginning of the fall draw-down of Summersville Lake. The season begins on the first weekend after Labor Day and runs for 6 weekends plus the Sunday of the weekend of Bridge Day. You can find the release schedule and projected flows on the COE web page at www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/wwsched.html. After that, there is approximately 3 weeks reserved for fishing and fish stocking. During this timeframe, the COE releases approximately 250-700 cfs from Summersville Dam. The month of November is used to continue bringing the lake level down to winter pool. Normal flows during this period are approximately 1100 cfs.

During the spring, beginning on about April 1st, the COE starts bringing Summersville Lake up to summer pool. Their goal is to have the lake at summer pool by June 1st. During this time, the COE releases less water from Summersville Lake than is coming into the lake, bringing the lake up to summer pool.

After the lake reaches the appropriate pool level (summer or winter), the COE holds the lake close to that level by using the basic principle "What comes in goes out". The USGS gauge on the Gauley River at Craigsville shows roughly what is coming into the lake. If the lake level rises to about .35 feet above the desired pool elevation, the COE will release more than what is coming down the Gauley at Craigsville. Exceptions to this rule do occur, especially during periods of significant rainfall and extreme drought.

Exceptions

Significant rainfall

Water Quality

About 7-8 years ago, the augmentation flows from Summersville were USUALLY in the 1000 cfs range. Since then, the COE started to use the Elk River from the reservoir at Sutton Lake to augment the flows coming from the New and Gauley Rivers. The Elk joins the Kanawha in Charleston downstream from some of the BOD/COD readings but upstream of others. Now, current augmentation flows from Summersville are usually in the 500-800 cfs range.

Augmentation usually occurs when the New River at Thurmond is running below 1000 cfs – at least that is what I observed during the summer of 2007.

How to Interpret the Various Gauges and their impact on the COE release from Summersville Dam

At winter or summer pool (December-March and June-August)

If you watch the gauges above Craigsville and the actual and predicted rainfall totals in the Gauley watershed, you can "guess-timate" how much water the COE might release from Summersville Dam a few days into the future.

You also need to consider the flow and water temperature on the New River. If it is hot and the flow is extremely low (generally below 1100 cfs), the COE will probably release enough water from Summersville Dam to ensure an adequate flow on the Kanawha River (below the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers). One way to check for this possibility is to look at the USGS gauge on the Kanawha River at Kanawha Falls. It should be at least 2,000 cfs. If it is lower and there is no expected increase in the flow coming down the New River, the COE will probably increase the flow from Summersville Dam.

During the Fall Draw-down (September-November)

During the Spring (April-May)

Other commonly asked questions

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