We have a West Fork Mojave River? Who knew?

Hello!

Day 20 of my 365 day photography journey

Today I worked a recall of Popchips and took my camera, like always. But nothing caught my eye all day until my trip home. I was passing a group of trucks along the road.

I decided to stop, introduce myself and be a little curious. I talked with the foreman and asked if I could ask some questions and take pictures. He replied, "Absolutely." The men worked for the USGS (United States Government Survey) in the Water watch division.

The green box mounted on poles is a replacement sensor unit for the desert colored box in the right side of the picture with USGS and Danger stickers on it. The old unit had been acting up for some time so they replaced it. The new unit will measure the depth of water, in the what I now know to be the west fork of the Mojave River (I didn't know there was one until today), and the rate of water flow. I did forget to ask what they did with the information. I'm sure they look for drought indicators and changes in the water cycle.

I can tell you with absolute certainty there is no water running right now. There normally is water running through this fork of the river, not a lot. Enough though to enjoy with the kids and family. I believe water has been cut off during repairs up river somewhere.

This unit has a number and it can be located on the USGS site to monitor the water. 

This map can be found at this link, Water Watch 

This is a google earth image of the gauge location.

I'd like to thank the men of the USGS Water Watch program for their time and hard work. It was a warm day.

Make a great day!!