ABOUT THIS LOCATION
PARKING: It is recommended that you use the E.B. Shurts
parking lot N 43° 00.177 W 088° 14.656 which is a short walk over
to the river and this EarthCache. You may visit during school hours
as this is City parkland but please be respectful of the school
groups that may be present. If you feel you must cross railroad
tracks, you are approaching from the WRONG SIDE of the
river.
The coordinates for the Earthcache will take you to the City of
Waukesha Fox River Sanctuary. The USGS Gage House 05543830 is a
permanent structure located along the river here. The Sanctuary is
an open space along the Fox River on the southwest side of the City
that contains mature trees, open meadows, prairie grasses, ponds,
boardwalks, observation platform, arboretum and designated lowland
areas. The majority of this area has been identified as a
shoreline-wetland area in the State of WI Wetland inventory. A
large portion also falls within the 100-year flood plain for the
City.
The E.B. Shurts Environmental Education Center is also located
here. It was constructed as a joint partnership between the City of
Waukesha, Department of Natural Resources, Waukesha Women's Club,
the School District of Waukesha and the Fox River Development
Board.
The City of Waukesha Fox River Recreation Trail head is located
at the E.B Shurts Building. Trail segments run both north and south
from this location. The Glacial Drumlin State Trail enters the park
on the west side under St. Paul Avenue and leaves the park at the
intersection of Prairie and College Avenues. From this location the
bicycle trail utilizes city streets before its connection to the
New Berlin Trail at Lincoln Avenue extended. The Glacial Drumlin
State Trail begins in Cottage Grove, near Madison. A State Sticker
to use the Drumlin trail by bike is required, hiking it is not.
Source:
http://www.ci.waukesha.wi.us/Park_Recreation_Forestry/fr_sanctuary.html
ABOUT THIS EARTHCACHE
This EarthCache is designed to introduce you to the Fox River
that flows through Waukesha, show you how the USGS measures the
river level through the gaging station and have you explore a
designated wetland area for flood control.
FOX RIVER AT WAUKESHA
So, just how many Fox Rivers are there? Well, this Fox River
starts near Menomonee Falls and flows past Brookfield, Waukesha,
Big Bend, Waterford, Rochester, Burlington, Wheatland, Silver Lake
and Wilmot for a total of 70 miles in Wisconsin. There is another
Fox River in north east Wisconsin plus two others in southern
Illinois one that is a Little Wabash tributary and a smaller Fox
River that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony Indiana.
The coordinates will bring you to the gaging station. It plays a
vital role in the control of the water levels along Fox River. It
has a drainage area of 126 square miles. The datum of the gage is
793.04 feet above sea level. This station has been recording data
since January 1963. The Fox River that flows in Waukesha is
actually a tributary of the Illinois River. The Illinois River is a
primary tributary of the Mississippi River! So, eventually the
water that flows through Waukesha will be flowing into the
Mississippi River.
In the Summer of 2008, the area you will be standing was subject
to the “great flood” of Waukesha. At the height of the flooding,
this gaging station was pretty much under water.
The latest Ice Age about 10,000 years ago, the Wisconsin
Glaciation left its mark on Waukesha by the rolling hills and
soils. The underlying ground in this area is a mixed combination
bedrock of limestone, dolomite and shale. Limestone and dolomite
are more likely to allow water to flow through but the shale is
less likely. As the glaciers melted and moved across the area, the
glacial till left behind a combination of rock, silt and soil. As
an identified shoreline-wetland area, this area serves an important
role for retaining stormwater from rain and melting snow rushing
into the river to help minimize flooding to areas downstream. It
also serves as value habitat for wildlife.
USGS GAGING STATIONS
The primary purpose of the gaging stations is to provide data for
the regulation of the river and for flood forecasting. The Gaging
Stations are continuously measuring two fundamental items of
hydrologic information: Stage/Height and Flow/ Discharge. Stage is
the water depth above some arbitrary datum. It is commonly measured
in feet. Flow/Discharge is the total volume of water that flows
past a point on the river for some period of time. It is usually
measured in cubic feet per second or gallons per minute. A gaging
station can also include equipment that measures water quality
properties such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and dissolved
chemicals. Some gaging stations also include instruments for
measuring weather conditions such as air temperature, precipitation
and wind speed.
The USGS operates and maintains more than 85 percent of the
Nation's stream-gaging stations, which includes 98 percent of those
that are used for real-time river forecasting. Currently, this
network comprises 7,292 stations dispersed throughout the Nation,
4,200 of which are equipped with earth satellite radios that
provide real-time communications. The NWS uses data from 3,971 of
these stations to forecast river depth and flow conditions at 4,017
forecast-service locations on major rivers and small streams in
urban areas.
WATER STAGE / HEIGHT
MEASUREMENT
There are several methods the gage height or stage is measured. One
of your tasks with this earthcache is to identify which one is in
use at this location.
Staff Gage: Basically looks like a giant ruler mounted to
a fixed point along the stream typically a bridge support or pier.
The height is read manually by looking at it.
Wire Weight Gage: Permanently mounted on the side of a
bridge or other overhead structure to measure the distance from a
point of known elevation on the bridge to the water surface. A wire
weight gage has weight, a reel of wire, and a manual crank. This
number is compared to the datum height to calculate the stage of
the stream.
Vertical Pipe Gage: This type of gage is mounted above a
pipe that penetrates the bottom of the stream. Water flows into the
pipe through holes or tubes in the side of the pipe or through the
sediment and fills to the same level as the water in the stream.
Pressure sensors or a float/wire system is used to determine the
height of the water. Some of these gages record the height of the
water in a memory – which is then manually downloaded to a
laptop.
You can find further river information at the websites below:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=05543830
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=mkx&gage=wkew3&view=1,1
WHY AN EARTHCACHE HERE?
This will be my first of several Earthcaches about the waterways
in our Milwaukee-Waukesha area. I am launching this one first so it
is published in time for the Waukesha Winter JanBoree Event to be
held on Saturday, January 24, 2009. I purposely selected this
location of the Fox River because it is the site of the gaging
station. An added bonus is we host Geocaching 101 workshops at this
park each Spring so I can use it now to introduce new geocachers to
EarthCaches.
Special thanks to Waukesha Parks, Recreation and Forestry for
permission to place this EarthCache.
Enjoy your visit!
To log this earthcache, you must complete the
following TWO tasks.
1) ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
At the time of your log, email me the answers to the following
questions: 1. Identify what type of gage is in use at this
location. I do realize that certain weather conditions will make it
impossible to reach the water’s edge and to observe this; please
just email me the condition (deep snow, flooding) at the time of
your visit. I do live near this location. 2. Identify how data is
being sent from this location (telephone, satellite). 3. How is
this gaging station powered (electrical, solar).
2) BRING YOUR CAMERA. We would like a photo of your team
with your GPSr showing the Fox River in the background or the
gaging station (PLEASE do not give away any answers in your photo
please). However, if you are solo caching, a photo of your GPSr
with enough of the location in the background that can be
identified, will also be accepted. You must upload your photo(s)
with your "found it" log.
Please be advised, failure to complete the
TWO tasks listed above AT THE TIME YOU POST YOUR FIND IT LOG
(emailing the answer and posting your photo will result in log
deletion without notice.
You do NOT have to wait for confirmation from me before logging
your find. Please do not make any reference to these answers or
show answers in your photo.
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