| OCR Text |
Show 6143 which you pointed out amounting to 17 feet, on what level does the zero on the gage at Lees Ferry represent? A The zero of a gage is an arbitrary point, taken always below the known bottom of the river. Q Well, if the known bottom of the river is at one point one year and 17 feet lower than that three years earlier or later, how do you fix your zero point on the gage? A Well, zero of the gage does not mean anything at all, except as an arbitrary point from which all of the gage charts are referred back. Q Then does it not represent depth of water? A No, the zero represents northin excepting the start-ing point for the gage heights. Q No, you do not understand me. Is not gage supposed to represent the depth of water in the stream at that point? A No; the gage height as such has nothing to do with indicating the depth of the water. The gage is simply a means by which the fluctuations from low water to high water can be obtained. On one gage low water might read 20 feet; on another gage it might be five feet. Neither the zero of the gage nor the gage heights have any relation to the depth of the river. |
