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 Topic:  Mi. San Joaquin - At Devil's Postpile - new USGS realtime gauge 

Forums -> Flows -> Mi. San Joaquin - At Devil's Postpile - new USGS realtime gauge Page 1 of 1
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chris
Site Admin
Posted: Jun 20, 2010Post Subject: Mi. San Joaquin - At Devil's Postpile - new USGS realtime gauge
The USGS has recently started reporting realtime gauge height for this gauge, which is just above Devil's Postpile. As yet, USGS is not reporting the corresponding flow in CFS. Usually they do report flow after they've had a chance to develop a suitable rating table, but not always.

In any case, please follow Paul Martzen's request on Boof to "report back the actual flow numbers at Devil's Postpile when you go in" so we get feedback on which gauge heights correspond to what kind of experience. Thanks to Paul for reporting that this new gauge now exists.
chris
Site Admin
Posted: Jun 20, 2010
Hmm - my left eye evidently didn't know what the right was doing today. Paul points out that the gauge already reports flow in CFS. Fixed on the reports and on the graphs.
Thomas M
Member
Posted: Jun 22, 2010
Right now the flow says 550 with a star indicating that this is an optimal flow. I thought that right now the flow would be way too high to run the devils post pile. Isn't there additional flow as you get into this run making it too high.
chris
Site Admin
Posted: Jun 22, 2010
Thanks for raising the issue.  The Dreamflows "green" range follows the Holbek and Stanley recommended range of 400 to 650 cfs.   But by all means let's adjust it when we have data that tells us what to adjust it to.  Ideas?
paul martzen
Member
Posted: Jun 23, 2010Post Subject: Devil's Postpile gauge
The Holbeck Stanley flow recommendations are based on the Miller's Crossing gauge which operated into the late 1980's or so. Miller's Crossing is towards the end of the run, though upstream of Granite Creek, Balloon Dome and the SF confluence. Lots of good sized tributaries between Devil's Postpile and Miller's Crossing.

What's more, the new gauge is at the very upstream end of Devil's Postpile. It looks like Reds Creek is a somewhat sizable creek that comes into the Monument, so the flow is likely to be noticably lower at the gauge than even down at Rainbow Falls.

So, based on nothing more than these observations, my entry into the, "Guess the optimum flow range" pool, will be 75 to 150 cfs!

I would like my prize, should I win, to be an autographed piece of driftwood from anywhere in the run.
________________________________
Paul Martzen
Fresno, CA
Thomas M
Member
Posted: Aug 3, 2010
I put on the post pile with three other friends starting 7/30 and taking off on 8/2. I think the gauge was reading about 170 the first day and then climbed the second day a little bit and then dropped each day. On the first day I felt the flow was at a good manageable level.It felt bony in places but just right in those that mattered It was a bit higher then the flow in this video http://caliproduct.ning.com/video/san-juaquin but not too high that rapids needed to be portaged because of too much water. I would guess that a flow of 75 would be the bottom end and I would be nervous about putting on much over say 220 but what really matters is how much all the tribs are putting in down stream. I think that this gauge along with the miller estimate is a good way to determine the flow. This run is awesome!
Forums -> Flows -> Mi. San Joaquin - At Devil's Postpile - new USGS realtime gauge Page 1 of 1