Hydro Program Manager Course
Course Summary

A summary of information in this course:

Lesson 1 The Program
  • Hydrologic Service Program Mission - provide river, flood, and water resource information, forecasts, and warnings for the protection of life and property.
  • Review NWS Directive 10-9 for an overview of the hydrologic support structure.
  • HPM duties include compiling the HSM, training the staff, maintaining the gaging network, and coordinating with internal and external partners.
  • Refer to NWSI 10-925 when building or editing the HSM.
  • Submit a Monthly Report of Hydrologic Conditions (E-5) by the 15th of the following month and a flood stage report (E-3) when applicable.
  • Review NWSI 10-921 for an overview of operational staff responsibilities.
  • Ensure WFO forecasters have sufficient skill to deliver high-quality hydrologic forecast and warning service by forming a hydrology team.
Lesson 2 Partners and Communications
  • Best practices for RFC-WFO interaction include sharing information on hydrologic issues, arranging office visits, and keeping metadata current.
  • Several key federal partners include the USGS, USBR, and USACE.
  • Key state and local partners include water resource agencies and Emergency Managers.
  • Join the WCM during outreach opportunities with stakeholders such as power companies, volunteer observers, and the media.
  • Interagency best practices include sharing contact information, meeting periodically, and maintaining procedures for information transfer.
  • Use the Weather Story and social media platforms to get the hydrologic message to the public and stakeholders.
Lesson 3 Operations
  • Flood, flash flood, dam failure, and drought are several high impact hydrologic events.
  • Non-routine products are issue in anticipation of or during hydrologic events.
  • Routine hydrologic products are used for non-watch or warning information.
  • Ensure the steps outlined in Lesson 3.3 are completed to be capable of performing service backup operations.
  • The Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS) is a collaboration tool for interacting with the River Forecast Center.
Lesson 4 Data Management
  • Quality Assurance (QA) programs are preventive activities to minimize or avoid data quality errors.
  • Quality Control (QC) programs are corrective actions taken by NWS offices to ensure high quality data in real-time through post processing.
  • Sources of stage and precipitation data include HADS, cooperative observers, IFLOWS, and mesonets.
  • Information from the Integrated Hydrologic Forecast System (IHFS) database is used for AHPS products, displaying information in HydroView, and creating products in RiverPro.
  • Verify HydroBase data using HydroBase GUIs or PostgreSQL query tools.
Lesson 5 Network Management
  • Use tools, such as HADS, NWSLI, GIS, and Google Earth to evaluate the gage network.
  • Document gages using E-19s station description reports, field notes, gage owner publications (USGS Water Resources Data), notes from conversations with people living near the river, newspaper articles and television stories.
  • Change the flood stage by documenting events, coordinating with affected parties, requesting the change from regional headquarters, and notifying partners and stakeholders.
  • Gaining or losing gages changes the network. Coordinate with partners and stakeholders to secure additional funding.
Lesson 6 Fieldwork
  • Verify E-19 information by checking resources on hand with observations during fieldwork.
  • The NWS defines river reach as “a section of river or stream between an upstream and downstream location, for which the stage or flow measured at a point somewhere along the section is representative of conditions in that section of river or stream”.
  • View flood inundation maps on the USGS Flood Mapper site. Be aware that FEMA is the official source for flood inundation information for insurance purposes.
  • While doing fieldwork, compare the information in previous E-19s and any gage owner station descriptions to what your observe.
  • Review the steps in the leveling process in Lesson 6.5.
Lesson 7 Training and Reference
  • Locate hydrology courses on the LMS.
  • Review Lesson 7.2 for hydrologic training from other sources.
  • Conduct periodic drills to maintain staff proficiency.
  • The NWS Directives are the official source of NWS policy information.
  • Locate service assessments here.
  • Use the list in Lesson 7.6 to locate additional reference materials.

 

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