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Prepared in cooperation with
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of State—Division of Coastal Resources
New York State Department of Transportation
New York City Department of Environmental Protection

Regionalized Equations for Bankfull Discharge and Channel Characteristics of Streams in New York State—Hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in the Adirondack Region of Northern New York

By Christiane I. Mulvihill, Amy Filopowicz, Arthur Coleman, and Barry P. Baldigo

U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5189

This Report is available Online Only Front Cover - PDF format (3,518 KB) Full Report - PDF format (1,446 KB)

Abstract

Equations that relate drainage area to bankfull discharge and channel characteristics (width, depth, and cross-sectional area) at gaged sites are needed to define bankfull-discharge and channel characteristics at ungaged sites and to provide information for watershed assessments, stream-channel classification, and design of stream-restoration projects. Such equations are most accurate if derived from streams within an area of uniform hydrologic, climatic, and physiographic conditions and applied only within that region.

Stream-survey and discharge data from 15 active (currently gaged in 2005) streamflow-gaging stations and 1 inactive (discontinued) streamflow-gaging station in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 were used in linear-regression analyses to relate drainage area to bankfull discharge and bankfull-channel width, depth, and cross-sectional area. The four resulting equations are the following:

The coefficients of determination (R2) for these four equations are 0.95, 0.89, 0.89, and 0.97, respectively. The high coefficients of determination for these equationsindicate that much variability is explained by drainage area. Recurrence intervals for the estimated bankfull discharge of each stream ranged from 1.01 to 3.80 years; the mean recurrence interval was 2.13 years. The 16 surveyed streams were classified by Rosgen stream type; most were B- and C-type, with a few E- and F-type cross sections.

The hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 equation for the relation between bankfull discharge and drainage area was graphically compared to curves developed for 5 other hydrologic regions in New York State. The 95-percent confidence interval for the hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 curve fully encompassed the curves for Regions 4a, 5, and 6, showing that there are very few differences in the relation between drainage area and bankfull discharge in these four regions. However, the curves for Regions 4 and 7 lay outside the 95 percent confidence intervals of the Region 3 curve, indicating that these 3 regions do not have similar bankfull-discharge to drainage area relations.

Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Approach

Purpose and Scope

Methods

Site Selection

Data Collection

Data Analysis

Regional Equations for Bankfull Discharge and Channel Characteristics of Streams

Regionalized Relation between Bankfull Discharge and Drainage Area

Bankfull-Discharge Recurrence Intervals

Stream-Channel Characteristics in Relation to Drainage Area

Stream Classification

Comparison of Hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 Bankfull-Discharge Equation to Equations for Other Regions in New York State

Limitations of this Study

Summary and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References Cited

Figures

1. Map showing hydrologic regions in New York State: (A) Hydrologic-region boundaries as defined by Lumia (1991); and (B) Locations of the 15 active and 1 inactive streamflow-gaging stations used in 2004–05 stream survey in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in New York State.

2–5. Graphs showing—

2. Bankfull discharge as a function of drainage area with 95 percent prediction limit and 95 percent confidence interval for streams surveyed in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in New York State.

3. Bankfull width, depth, and cross-sectional area as a function of drainage area with best-fit lines, regression equations, and R2 values for streams surveyed in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in New York State.

4. Channel characteristics as a function of drainage area with 95 percent prediction limits and 95 percent confidence intervals for streams in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in New York State: (A) bankfull channel width; (B) bankfull channel depth; and (C) bankfull channel cross-sectional area.

5. Bankfull discharge as a function of drainage area for hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 and published curves for five other regions in New York State.

Tables

1. Characteristics of streamflow-gaging stations surveyed in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in New York State, 2004–05.
2. Stream classification and bankfull channel characteristics for streamflow-gaging stations surveyed in hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in New York State, 2004–05.

Suggested Citation

Mulvihill, C.I., Filopowicz, Amy, Coleman, Arthur, and Baldigo, B P., 2007, Regionalized Equations for Bankfull Discharge and Channel Characteristics of Streams in New York State—Hydrologic Regions 1 and 2 in the Adirondack Region of Northern New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5189, 18 p., online only.

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