An investigation into why a gauge measuring the Smoky Hill River quit working at the Niles Road bridge revealed that someone broke into the stream gauging station on Thursday.

Sheriff Roger Soldan said Monday that employees with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) noticed that sometime between 10:45-11 p.m. on Thursday the gauge quit reporting depth and flow of the Smoky Hill River.

The gauge was in a stream gauging station on the Smoky Hill River bridge in the 1500 block of North Niles Road.

A USGS employee from Lawrence came to Saline County Friday morning to check the station and discovered that it had been broken into, Soldan said. Items stolen from the station include a solar regulator, a transmitter and battery, a rain gauge, and an antenna, he said. Total loss, including stolen items and damage, was estimated at $8,000, he added.