Station list     Available data
ILLINOIS RIVER BASIN


05536123       CHICAGO RIVER AT COLUMBUS DRIVE AT CHICAGO, IL

 

LOCATION.-- Lat 41°53'18", long 87°37'16" (NAD of 1927), in NE1/4SW1/4 sec.10, T.39 N., R.14 E., Cook County, Hydrologic Unit 07120003, on left downstream side of bridge within the Columbus Drive bridge structure in Chicago, 0.5 mi downstream from Chicago River Lock and Dam.
 

DRAINAGE AREA.-- Indeterminate.
 

PERIOD OF RECORD.--

SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE
 

DISCHARGE: October 1996 to current year.
 

GAGE.-- Water-stage recorder, acoustical flowmeter and phone telemeter. Datum of gage is 579.48 ft above NGVD of 1929 (Chicago City datum).
 

REMARKS.-- This gaging station provides flow data to determine Illinois' diversion of Lake Michigan water. A U.S. Supreme Court Decree limits Illinois' diversion to an average of 3,200 ft3/s. Illinois' diversion includes water diverted from the lake for domestic water supply, for navigation, and water-quality improvement in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal system, and stormwater runoff from a 673 mi2 diverted watershed area. Estimated daily discharges determined from regression relations between this site and flow data from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago-Chicago River Controlling Works.
 

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD.-- Maximum daily discharge, 1,370 ft3/s, Aug. 6, 1997, minimum daily, -2,450 ft3/s, Feb. 21, 1997, due to regulation to prevent flooding.
 

REMARKS FOR CURRENT YEAR.--Records good except those for estimated daily discharges, which are fair.
Discharge, cubic feet per second, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 1999 TO SEPTEMBER 2000
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 261  338    16    -5.4 -4.3   120      1.6 -6.8 44  291  519  512 
2 247  172    58    63    104      26      -56    -25    109  256  583  526 
3 117  106    -6.8 -83    31      -9.8   35    -40    136  409  438  471 
4 226  69    33    71    -57      72      89    76    234  343  402  592 
5 263  113    114    -61    -0.06 1.5   -24    3.0 243  373  277  502 
 
6 216  58    28    22    -6.0   -11      -36    9.2 304  363  323  436 
7 171  23    -9.7 39    4.6   102      e26    41    226  265  439  452 
8 299  52    19    58    4.8   77      e24    52    305  309  404  505 
9 233  96    35    55    -92      89      e20    121    264  408  481  456 
10 315  118    94    91    25      55      e17    9.8 198  398  420  417 
 
11 251  23    4.9 9.2 26      54      e21    -37    184  414  477  227 
12 268  86    39    -170    -99      0.42 e21    80    185  301  363  270 
13 411  93    41    22    -44      -18      e17    -14    266  463  395  473 
14 188  115    64    -77    100      38      e22    17    301  397  471  397 
15 243  83    48    -31    -22      85      e24    31    190  408  510  515 
 
16 293  134    79    -70    -52      63      e26    99    275  375  477  359 
17 262  24    34    -126    -162      9.1   e13    67    196  464  316  259 
18 194  -22    8.0 85    -56      -65      e116    144    178  420  487  436 
19 163  106    -29    -85    31      21      e16    91    283  423  353  578 
20 119  45    39    148    24      -7.4   e16    -9.1 260  471  345  218 
 
21 108  1.0 48    118    97      -28      e20    39    264  445  334  383 
22 145  54    -20    77    24      -69      e19    73    234  431  363  365 
23 155  -80    16    2.5 -63      -74      e19    90    238  430  432  657 
24 117  97    38    -116    -76      3.3   e23    69    268  377  385  468 
25 132  -18    -18    7.5 -113      24      e21    46    129  384  364  456 
 
26 119  29    14    -134    -65      -3.2   e12    -6.5 252  423  314  372 
27 57  68    -16    -25    28      74      -16    -6.6 375  477  402  433 
28 336  59    -16    -86    -54      64      -20    142    281  424  357  409 
29 291  88    38    -125    -42      -30      95    16    245  476  465  298 
30 317  -6.8 40    8.1 ---      -54      -3.2 33    335  361  501  142 
 
31 316  ---    -21    49    ---      -99      ---    44    ---  359  445  --- 

TOTAL 6833 2123.2 811.4 -269.1 -507.96 509.92 558.4 1248.0 7002 12138 12842 12584
MEAN 220 70.8 26.2 -8.68 -17.5 16.4 18.6 40.3 233 392 414 419
MAX 411 338 114 148 104 120 116 144 375 477 583 657
MIN 57 -80 -29 -170 -162 -99 -56 -40 44 256 277 142
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2000, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 345 145 101 130 98.5 116 132 219 415 642 630 545
MAX 512 225 303 352 262 275 262 406 593 883 793 840
(WY) 1998 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997
MIN 220 70.8 26.2 -8.68 -17.5 16.4 18.6 40.3 233 392 414 385
(WY) 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 1999

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 1999 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2000 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2000
ANNUAL TOTAL 72112.17 55872.86
ANNUAL MEAN 198      153     
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 783          Jul 31 657          Sep 23 1370          Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -223          Jan 2 -170          Jan 12 -2450      A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -20          Jan 8 -68          Jan 23 -108      A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 531      432      742         
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 124      87      258         
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS -5.0   -29      3.7      

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data