Rio conchos streamgage network
Client: North American Development Bank
Location: Mexico
Period: 2006 – 2009
Project Summary
Mexico’s Comisión Nacional del Agua required an updated real-time monitoring network for the Río Conchos basin. After analyzing the site and preparing an assessment, Riverside Technology, inc. assisted with the implementation of an updated, real-time monitoring network.
Project Details
Rossbach de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. contracted with the North American Development Bank (NADB) on behalf of Mexico’s Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA) to implement a real-time monitoring network for the Río Conchos basin in Mexico.
As part of its efforts to modernize the Río Conchos basin, CONAGUA is rehabilitating, automating, and expanding the hydrometric station network in the basin.
CONAGUA has many years of experience in operating and maintaining a conventional hydrometric network but has more recently ventured into automated hydrometric stations in part to address economic and logistical challenges in maintaining a staff of adequately trained observers.
The proposed hydrometric network offers CONAGUA an opportunity to adopt a new approach to this important aspect of water resource monitoring that will achieve several important benefits.
Riverside Technology, inc. (Riverside) assisted in the implementation of a real-time monitoring network of 11 hydrometric sites for the Río Conchos basin in Mexico. Riverside participated in site investigations and prepared a site assessment for each site describing hydraulic and fluvial geomorphological characteristics and providing recommendations for water level sensor and cableway locations.
For each site, Riverside developed a surveying plan and then incorporated the survey results into the preparation of a geographic information systems (GIS)-based digital elevation model (DEM) that was used to develop a hydraulic model. The hydraulic model was used to identify critical water levels, hydraulic properties of the flow at various anticipated discharges, and preliminary rating curves to provide initial estimates of discharge for reported water levels. Digital maps were prepared to illustrate hydraulic conditions (depth and inundated area) under varying discharges.
Riverside assisted in:
- The design of infrastructure for each site
- Development of a streamgaging program
- Acquisition of stream gaging equipment
- Training of observers in making stream gaging measurements review and updating of rating curves based on observed data
The project involved extensive fieldwork and repeated visits to sites under varying hydrologic conditions.