USGS Ice Wading Rod, 3.0m

The Ice Rod is a heavy-duty, 1-inch (2.5 centimeter) diameter, lightweight aluminum rod used for suspending ice meters in fast velocities. The lower section, 32.9 inches (83.6 cm) long, is built to screw into the standard USGS ice meter. The rods are made with stainless steel screwed connections.

English unit extensions are 36 inches long, and all sections are calibrated in feet and tenths of feet. Metric unit extensions are 1 meter long, and all sections are calibrated in 5 centimeter increments. No sliding support is used with this rod as the ice meter mounts at the base of the rod and is handheld for various depths of flow.

A protective foot attaches at the bottom of the rod as shown in the figure to provide a base to measure depth at the bottom ice thickening and to protect the meter during a measurement. The foot locates the meter bucket wheel center-line at exactly 0.3 foot from the bottom surface. The foot assembly is designed to fit through a standard 8" diameter ice hole.