RDN’s Smart Staff Gauge Installed to Support DEFRA FCRIP Flood Reduction Project

17/09/2023

As any hydrologist will know complex flashy catchments are difficult to model with any degree of confidence.

River gauging station with integrated stilling tube and staff gauge board

River gauging station with integrated stilling tube and staff gauge board

This RDN Smart Staff Gauge is designed to look benign to the average thief or vandal, yet contains within a its integrated stilling tube a high precision MCERT approved Vegapulse C21 radar interfaced to one of RDNs Iridium satellite telemetry units capable of taking readings every 5-minutes with 16-bit precision.

river gauging station with integrated stilling tube and staff gauge

river gauging station with integrated stilling tube and staff gauge

The picture is one of several gauges installed to support a DEFRA funded FCRIP programme to reduce flooding in an urban catchment.  This gauge is deployed to monitor the flow as it emerges from the trash screen and the presence of the stilling tube is designed to improve both the accuracy and to provide protection from vandals in this heavily wooded area, popular with children, youths and dog walkers alike.

This gauge is set to operate over a 2m span with updates at 5-minute intervals enabling it to capture with precision the transient responses of the catchment to rainfall.