Cost-benefit approach to hydrometric network planning

Abstract

The costs of installing and operating hydrometric stations can be readily determined, but estimating the benefits, which arise from increases in the accuracy of design data for future projects, is more difficult. There is no single statistic that can represent the accuracy of the network output, and therefore a recent Canadian planning study decided to consider the information obtained from hydrometric networks under the three headings of mean discharge, flow dependability, and floods. The increase in accuracy from network intensification and the probable future benefits were then estimated separately for each of these three categories. Some of the techniques developed in this pilot study are outlined, and it is noted that, for the projections that were used and the conditions of the study area, increases in the accuracy of flow dependability and flood flow data outranked the mean flow category in regard to potential future benefits.