WSP05143

• File Number: 8510.100.60
• Description: Rio Grande Compact Commission
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 1/1/1994
• Title: Report of the Rio Grande Compact Commission 1994
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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25

RIO GRANDE COMPACT COMMISSION REPORT
ACCURACY OF RECORDS

The Rules and Regulations of the Commission state that the equipment, method, and
frequency of measurement at each gaging station shall be sufficient to obtain records at least
equal in accuracy to those classified as "good" by the U.S. Geological Survey, Within the physical
limitations of stream gaging, the agencies obtaining the records at Compact gaging stations have
complied with these regulations.

The accuracy of streamflow records depends primarily on (I) the stability of the stage-
discharge relation or, if the control is unstable, the frequency of discharge measurements, and (2)
the accuracy of observations of stage, measurements of discharge, and interpretation of records.

The station description states the degree of accuracy attributed to the records. "Excellent"
means that about 95 percent of the daily discharges are within 5 percent of the true value; "good"
within 10 percent; and "fair" within /5 percent Records that do not meet the criteria mentioned are
rated "poor." Different accuracies may be attributed to different parts of a given record. The
probable error in a monthly or annual mean discharge depends more on the distribution of the
daily errors between the limits than it does on the limits themselves. For this reason, monthly and
annual records are more accurate than most daily records.

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