One way for the federal government to save money is to turn off any number of the 7,000 river gauges installed and maintained by the US Geological Survey. Each gauge costs $14,000 to $18,000 a year to maintain, High Country News reports.

High Country News also reports on which river gauges in the West are most likely to be shut because of sequestration or other budget cuts.

We pointed you to an article about Montana’s last minute rescue of some of that state’s river gauges in May. That arrangement lasts until September.

Because river gauges are such a vital tool in managing river ecosystems, we thought you would like to know.

Read the High Country News article, here.
See the USGS map of lost and endangered river gauges, here.

Illustration: River gauge map on July 9, 2013 from USGS