Monitoring Water Levels of the Headwaters of the Jones River

At the request of the RIFLS Riverways Project and the Jones River Watershed Association, we monitored stream gages at the Jones River (at Lake Street) and at Howard Brook (at Route 27). In addition, we collected data from an observer at Pine Brook, and we recorded gage levels from the USGS gaging station located at the junction of the Jones River and Elm Street. In addition, we recorded precipitation using the school\u27s weather station. Finally, we measured stream flow by doing transects at fixed points along the Jones River and at Howard Brook. We recorded the gage levels for those days, combined our data with that of the RIFLS team, and constructed rating curves for the Jones River and for Howard Brook. We concluded that precipitation, as anticipated, increased stream flow, but that the increases were not equivalent for all locations. Also, we noted a few instances when increases in stream gage height were independent of precipitation events. We recommend continuation of this project into the low flow months and a more detailed study of watershed inputs and outputs