The Volunteer Task Force is assisting Los Alamos County in a project to monitor peak stream flows in the Pueblo Canyon Watershed. The purpose of the study is to determine the amount of runoff contributed by the Cerro Grande burned area, urban areas, and areas that have been treated by the Fuel Mitigation Project. The result will help determine the effectiveness of stormwater harvesting and control methods as they are installed over the next two years.

A network of 10 stream crest gages is in place. The gages are tubes with holes in the bottom and a wooden rod inside. Cork flakes are added to the tube. When water flows in the stream, it enters the holes in the bottom of the tube. The cork floats atop the water column, and leaves behind a cork ring when the water recedes. Using a computer model, peak flow is calculated from the height of the cork in the tube.

Volunteers are needed to read one or more gages after runoff-producing events. A half hour is all that is required: you would simply walk to the stream gage, pull out the rod and measure the height of the cork, clean the rod and put fresh cork in the tube. Volunteers will receive hands-on training.

If you would like to help with the project, contact Craig Martin at the Los Alamos County Parks Division, 661-8480 or martinc@lac.losalamos.nm.us

Funding for the stormwater project is provided by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Crest gage in North Pueblo Canyon