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Susquehanna River Levels – Sunbury
This chart shows how the water level of the Susquehanna River at Sunbury has changed over the past week. The river’s “gage height” is a measure of how high the water is at this location, which can help you see trends in flow and water conditions.
The data comes from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which continuously monitors rivers across the country. For more details, historical records, and additional river data, check out the official USGS page here.
Fish Ladder Status
This chart shows the current river depth at Sunbury and highlights when the fish ladder may be impaired.
When the river level drops to 13.15 ft or below, pools form in the ladder, and fish can become trapped. The red dashed line on the chart below indicates this critical depth. Monitoring these levels helps people respond promptly to protect and safely return fish to the river.
You can learn more about this here: https://www.fessleritconsulting.com/projects-outreach/stem-outreach/hands-on-environmental-science-aquatic-study-with-susquehanna-university
In this video, we’re checking the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam fish ladder when the river drops to 13.15 ft.
When the river drops below 13.15 ft at Sunbury, fish may get trapped or struggle to move upstream. Monitoring this helps us understand how the river’s flow affects wildlife.
Fish ladders help migrating fish bypass obstacles like dams so they can reach upstream spawning grounds. Healthy movement of fish is crucial for maintaining local ecosystems and supporting species like trout and shad.
Using real-time data from the USGS and Python programming, we can track river levels every day. This is a hands-on example of how STEM tools—data collection, coding, and analysis—can help us monitor and care for our environment
You don’t need to be a scientist to explore STEM. Check the daily updates, observe the river, and notice how flow changes after rain, storms, or seasonal shifts. Small observations help us all understand and protect our waterways
Fish ladders mimic natural stream conditions, but engineers need to consider water velocity, depth, and turbulence. That’s physics in action!
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