Daily Stream Temperature, Water Level, and Discharge Data from 2010 – 2024 for Headwater Streams in the Smith River Basin, Oregon

This is a dataset of stream temperature, water level (stage), and discharge data
collected between 2010 and 2024 for four headwater streams that are tributaries to the Smith
River in Oregon. The data files included here are daily averages of hourly data (or during some
time periods, daily averages of sub-hourly data) for each of the four sites, Beaver Creek, North
Sister Creek, Halfway Creek, and Panther Creek. (Note: The hourly and sub-hourly data used to
generate the daily datasets are archived in a separate DOI with its own metadata file.) The daily
averages were calculated in two ways, producing two sets of daily data files for each of the four
creeks. In one set, water level daily averages were calculated using all the available data for each
day, and then the daily averages that were less than zero were removed (the four files whose
filenames have the suffix “noneg”). In the other set, water level daily averages were calculated
using all the available data for each day, and all daily averages, including those with water
levels that were less than zero, were retained. We interpret the negative water level values as
records of times when the water level in the stream was below the level of the pressure
transducer, and discharge was close to zero, although there was still some water in the stream.
These data were collected as part of a monitoring effort to gain data on water temperature and
water level in small headwater streams with populations of anadromous Coho salmon
(Oncorhynchus kisutch) in the Oregon Coast Range. These data supported research efforts by the
Coastal Riverscapes Laboratory, led by Dr. Mary Santelmann at Oregon State University and Dr.
Rebecca Flitcroft with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. The
metadata that are specific to each site are presented below in the following order: Beaver Creek,
Halfway Creek, North Sister Creek, and Panther Creek. All instruments were co-located at longterm monitoring reaches for Coho salmon spawning that are maintained by the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife.