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Missouri River Streamflow-Gaging Station

Bismarck, North Dakota

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey was created by an act of Congress in 1879 and has become the principal Federal agency providing water information needed to manage the Nation's water resources.  In 1889, the U.S. Geological Survey established the first streamflow-gaging station on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico.  The U.S. Geological Survey now operates and maintains a network of about 7,000 streamflow-gaging stations nationwide.

The Missouri River streamflow-gaging station at Bismarck was established in 1927 and is one of more than 100 gaging stations in North Dakota.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey provide the funds needed to operate the gaging station and the North Dakota State Water Commission and the U.S. Geological Survey provide the funds needed for semiannual water-quality analyses at the gaging station.  

The primary purpose of the gaging station is to provide data for regulation of the Missouri River and for flood forecasting.

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