Water Resources Center - Jefferson City
Missouri Geological Survey
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
United States
Water Resources Program
fact sheetMissouri Geological Survey
Director: Carey Bridges, RGThe Meramec River streamgage at Cook Station is owned by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and funded in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Stage (water-surface elevation) measurements are made and recorded at 15-minute intervals and transmitted to the USGS office every hour. Stage and streamflow values are displayed in near real-time.
The Meramec River is a stream in Missouri’s Ozark Highlands, flowing into the Mississippi River. Beginning 7.5 miles northwest of Bunker, it is one of the longest free flowing waterways in the state. It features several state parks and natural areas and i’s proximity to St. Louis floaters makes it a popular destination. With many variant spellings, the name is a transliteration by the early French explorers of a Native American word meaning “river of ugly fish.” The modern pronunciation is derived from that of the Merrimack River on the United States’ East Coast (Schaper).
The streamgage is located at the State Highway M bridge over the Meramec River, one mile north of Cook Station in Crawford County and consists of a shelter, a data collection platform, an electronic pressure transducer to measure the river stage, a crest stage gage (Figure 5) to automatically record crest height during high water events and a wire weight gage used to manually verify electronic measurements. Learn how a USGS streamgage works.
The Meramec River at Cook Station streamgage webpage is maintained by USGS. Users are able to create graphs and tables utilizing the recorded parameters, which can be customized to show current and historical observations, daily data, daily statistics, monthly statistics, annual statistics, peak streamflow and field measurements for any time frame within the period of record. A location map and Water-Year Summary also are available. Customize your own data output online.
The streamgage provides recreational users in the area, surrounding landowners and the public with accurate stream height data. The Water Resources Center uses discharge data from this streamgage for flood, drought and water supply studies. This streamgage is located above Maramec Spring; this portion of the river is not recommended for floating unless the water is high.
• Bird-watching
• Camping
• Cave tours
• Hiking
• Fishing
• Floating and Boating
For more information about recreation activities located within the basin, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Figure 3. Site profile.
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Figure 4. Channel detail.
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Figure 5. Crest stage gage.
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Figure 6. Deep pool in channel.
1 References Cited
The Meramec River – Water Highway to the Ozarks
Nothing in this document may be used to implement any enforcement action or levy any penalty unless promulgated by rule under chapter 536 or authorized by statute.
Missouri Geological Survey
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
United States