"Mainly the river gauges from our perspective help us issue flood warnings," said Brian Boyd, hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn. "If they disappear, we're blind at that point on the river."

"In these parts the only way to find out if rivers are flowing is USGS data," said Philly Williams, a senior at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., and 12-year kayaking veteran. "They're pretty much the only way to know whether the rivers are flowing."

"There's really no way to predict (flows) unless you happen to live there except the gauges on the Web," said Henry Ambrose, the group's former president, who said he has made the drive from Franklin, Tenn., to the Tellico River many times based on USGS data.

"When the creek level hits 1.7 or higher you get kayakers from Atlanta who come up and rent cabins and eat at restaurants," said Mr. [Joe Jacobi], who won an Olympic gold medal in the 1992 games for whitewater canoe slalom. "If water is running and no one is there to communicate, kayakers are not going to be the only ones hurt by this."