San Diego, CA, February 11, 2004 -- Real-time data from an RD Instruments ChannelMaster HADCP (Horizontal Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) is now available online at the USGS-Minnesota District Web site.

The data provided by the ChannelMaster is a key component of the new water-quality model being developed by the Metropolitan Council, Environmental Services with funding from the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District.

"We used to compute flow from an upstream gauging station, introduce a time lag, and add five percent," said Eric Wakeman, lead hydrologic technician from the USGS office in Mounds View, MN. "But the new model is more sensitive and needs [more-accurate] data."

In order to obtain data with the required accuracy, the USGS installed the RDI's ChannelMaster by lowering it through a hole chopped into a layer of ice eight-inches thick.

"I've installed a lot of sensors," said Wakeman. "But I've never had to chop ice to get a gauge in. Except for the ice, the installation went pretty well."

But a frozen installation site isn't the only challenge for USGS personnel. The low velocities at this site (currently less than 0.25 ft/sec) make accurate velocity measurement difficult.

"It's a challenging site to rate because of the slow flows," said Wakeman. "But so far, the data look consistent. Even in the low flows, we're seeing some trending; so things look encouraging from an instrument standpoint."

RDI's ChannelMaster meets challenges like the ones on the Minnesota River by using patented BroadBand processing technology, which provides the precision necessary for measurement in slow, or rapidly changing, flows.

The ChannelMaster is a low-cost, high-performance current profiler designed specifically for water management applications. It uses much of the innovative technology seen in RDI's other products (like the Workhorse Rio Grande) and comes in an affordable and user-friendly package.

For more information about the real-time data available from the Minnesota USGS, visit http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mn/nwis/uv?

To see velocity data collected using the ChannelMaster, visit http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mn/nwis/uv?dd_cd=19&format=gif&period=7&site_no=05330920

For more information on the ChannelMaster HADCP, or any of RDI's Doppler products, please contact Randy Marsden (rmarsden@teledyne.com / Tel. +1-858-842-2600) or visit www.rdinstruments.com.

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