Heads Up, Rock Creek Paddlers: Joyce Rd Is Where the Action Is
Paddlers may have been alarmed upon seeing a USGS notice that the Rock Creek at Sherrill Drive gage is slated to be discontinued due to lack of funding from D.C.'s Department of Energy & Environment. But fear not, because the Rock Creek at Joyce Road gage, a mile and a quarter downstream, has comparable readings and its funding by Montgomery County (although the gage is in D.C.) is not under any current threat.
When the Sherrill gage notice was observed, the CCA's Access Committee leaped into action and ascertained from the Water Science Center—with whom the committee had worked on the Patapsco River gages four years ago—that the Joyce gage would continue online. Alf Cooley notes that the catchment areas for the Sherrill and Joyce gages are almost the same in size, and the Joyce gage should serve paddlers well enough.
It should be noted, though, that funding issues will indeed affect water quality monitoring at Joyce Road. A notice on that page says, "Water-quality sample collection (metals, bacteria) at this site will be discontinued on October 1, 2025 due to a loss of science partner funding." It goes on to say, "All other data collection (streamflow and other water quality parameters) will continue."
Discontinuation notices do have a way of appearing from time to time on gage pages of interest to CCA members. Are funding sources playing a game of Chicken, or do we actually have a good chance of losing gages that we count on? "When I worked for the State and occasionally talked to USGS staff about this," says gage watcher Tony Allred, "what they told me is that it's always both. USGS's role is as the presenter of national gage information. USGS wants to be sure of private, grant, local, or state interest and funding for gages. USGS does not have the budget for and does not see its mission as being the major funder of local gauges. So, if funding for a gage drops out, the gage is in danger of being discontinued."
Local paddlers witnessed this dynamic in 2021 when a similar discontinuation threat was posted for three Patapsco River gages. Ultimately, funds were found. A letter from the Access Committee to the Baltimore authorities controlling the co-funding may well have helped.