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 2000 TO SEPTEMBER 2001
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 164    -45    11    -1.4   14    -49    113    51  91  408  297  308 
2 247    24    2.0 147      -17    -40    26    36  179  290  -342  264 
3 188    84    -97    -65      -30    -25    74    60  162  210  115  246 
4 181    7.4 -22    -41      -18    7.0 -53    -19  161  223  296  374 
5 154    -49    69    0.56 -28    58    -98    -14  204  347  317  289 
 
6 154    1.3 -3.5 11      -64    32    -85    -64  185  263  366  301 
7 82    77    -4.2 -17      -49    3.3 -28    58  187  284  305  181 
8 139    49    7.1 -9.3   -74    44    33    66  162  291  371  219 
9 147    116    -18    20      60    31    14    47  186  364  467  469 
10 192    73    -9.5 -67      72    -13    42    28  228  384  293  417 
 
11 216    13    -129    -48      -8.8 -28    -30    128  127  283  303  381 
12 229    23    104    -22      -38    -48    102    78  461  286  286  457 
13 e128    48    -118    -147      -101    76    -39    30  198  309  411  401 
14 e110    35    29    -103      -31    28    -73    36  223  277  309  339 
15 e162    140    123    7.9   -74    -14    -84    175  527  281  256  295 
 
16 169    171    5.1 126      65    11    82    105  218  371  340  248 
17 135    41    97    59      139    -26    40    83  128  389  372  305 
18 179    24    3.7 -13      29    241    -13    187  270  328  341  428 
19 142    13    -13    -10      -12    -5.4 -51    126  184  340  786  373 
20 64    60    -68    -33      17    -33    -27    83  152  396  428  318 
 
21 40    71    110    -30      -23    -11    33    85  179  308  319  235 
22 3.4 37    16    -57      74    -21    -50    214  221  357  304  354 
23 15    -16    -121    -25      -98    7.0 95    78  214  357  458  460 
24 77    -51    19    2.7   -151    102    -21    82  224  340  390  166 
25 99    -23    78    -123      30    78    -19    182  198  305  339  79 
 
26 123    45    -91    -20      4.2 68    51    87  207  346  624  317 
27 272    21    -44    -59      -49    29    -1.7 209  184  258  480  708 
28 73    3.0 -38    7.4   2.9 -47    -26    136  207  264  447  296 
29 20    5.3 -7.3 66      ---    -70    -97    172  191  355  355  349 
30 6.7 39    -136    63      ---    -44    16    135  155  372  177  298 
 
31 63    ---    -29    69      ---    -82    ---    18  ---  410  259  --- 

TOTAL 3974.1 1037.0 -274.6 -311.14 -358.7 258.9 -74.7 2678 6213 9996 10469 9875
MEAN 128 34.6 -8.86 -10.0 -12.8 8.35 -2.49 86.4 207 322 338 329
MAX 272 171 123 147 139 241 113 214 527 410 786 708
MIN 3.4 -51 -136 -147 -151 -82 -98 -64 91 210 -342 79
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2001, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 301 123 79.3 102 76.4 94.1 105 193 373 578 572 502
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 128 34.6 -8.86 -10.0 -17.5 8.35 -2.49 40.3 207 322 338 329
(WY) 2001 2001 2001 2001 2000 2001 2001 2000 2001 2001 2001 2001

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 2000 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2001 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2001
ANNUAL TOTAL 50841.76 43481.86
ANNUAL MEAN 139      119      259       
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN 465        1997
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN 119        2001
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 657          Sep 23 786          Aug 19 1370        Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -170          Jan 12 -342          Aug 2 -2450    A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -68          Jan 23 -54          Jan 8 -108    A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 432      354      654       
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 72      76      216       
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS -50      -49      -12       

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data