Research efforts have developed a large body of knowledge on bridge scour, mostly from laboratory model studies. However, field dataand measurements of scour at bridges, necessary to better understand the problem of scour and to evaluate analytical methods for scour prediction, are extremely limited. This deficiency results largely from the difficulties of field data collection under flood flow conditions when scour conditions are typically most severe. These same adverse conditions have inhibited development of a reliable scour monitoring device that can automatically or even semi-automatically collect scour data. This paper presents a status report on the ongoing national cooperative highway research program (nchrp) study being conducted for the transportation research board (trb). The objective ofthis research study is to develop, test, and evaluate instrumentation that would be both technically and economically feasible for use in monitoring maximum scour depth at bridge piers and abutments. An interim report was submitted to the nchrp panel and trb in october 1990 providing identification of potential devices, evaluation of devices, and recommendations for the laboratory phase of the research. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1290, Thirdbridge engineering conference, march 10-13, 1991, denver, colorado, volume 2.
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