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 2002 TO SEPTEMBER 2003
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 294    181    71      -14    -26    -50    58    165    8.1 e290  357  13 
2 332    161    24      15    28    7.7 e25    85    -16    e314  193  280 
3 106    153    -92      6.4 -12    -17    e27    2.3 72    e290  205  357 
4 334    30    -8.2   -121    91    -89    e34    141    236    e185  383  404 
5 156    6.5 57      22    16    -88    e22    70    351    e243  515  230 
 
6 272    57    39      17    -12    -55    e24    3.6 277    e145  330  284 
7 199    26    26      47    42    -62    e26    51    277    e288  557  299 
8 224    -13    -0.67 57    -47    113    e26    88    194    e531  518  321 
9 263    -86    -25      75    -15    114    -13    213    323    e203  469  326 
10 197    47    -26      87    24    49    -35    370    134    307  456  341 
 
11 186    71    -20      63    2.2 -2.3 114    129    395    230  405  307 
12 255    53    -79      -6.9 -46    50    23    304    379    279  525  169 
13 194    45    -86      63    -25    44    -1.1 93    261    317  460  343 
14 143    10    57      67    -7.7 37    85    165    308    352  472  251 
15 264    52    79      62    3.2 -51    111    117    373    245  515  272 
 
16 254    57    -36      57    -75    -50    86    54    314    273  531  160 
17 223    23    -88      17    -133    24    62    35    263    208  472  189 
18 230    -14    -32      -96    -49    7.4 127    28    284    501  316  290 
19 218    77    0.25 -80    -16    67    62    -9.3 541    292  389  363 
20 173    76    41      19    -10    -18    105    502    206    368  468  223 
 
21 101    89    51      63    -91    -9.6 83    54    260    442  603  224 
22 169    75    36      1.8 -29    32    31    46    257    564  557  336 
23 36    -21    23      70    59    1.9 -9.4 40    361    557  406  256 
24 -86    61    -26      -44    78    87    14    59    369    385  419  196 
25 -4.6 67    0.76 20    -1.8 -19    90    44    221    356  562  253 
 
26 140    72    -52      123    -90    -65    64    57    228    247  505  140 
27 53    73    -5.3   29    -98    -40    52    31    178    473  589  324 
28 -4.3 3.4 13      -43    -63    -13    61    105    e148    406  288  270 
29 -6.2 11    167      -21    ---    67    51    226    e201    417  407  246 
30 -69    103    32      -86    ---    -35    175    113    e193    379  219  107 
 
31 68    ---    -11      -72    ---    -49    ---    88    ---    361  177  --- 

TOTAL 4913.9 1545.9 129.84 397.3 -503.1 -11.9 1579.5 3469.6 7596.1 10448 13268 7774
MEAN 159 51.5 4.19 12.8 -18.0 -0.38 52.6 112 253 337 428 259
MAX 334 181 167 123 91 114 175 502 541 564 603 404
MIN -86 -86 -92 -121 -133 -89 -35 -9.3 -16 145 177 13
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2003, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 257 99.5 61.1 77.5 54.8 71.7 86.1 163 343 519 533 429
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 29.6 -8.86 -10.0 -18.0 -0.38 -2.49 40.3 207 322 338 235
(WY) 2001 2002 2001 2001 2003 2003 2001 2000 2001 2001 2001 2002

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 2002 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2003 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2003
ANNUAL TOTAL 53385.03 50607.14
ANNUAL MEAN 146      139      226       
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN 465        1997
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN 119        2001
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 816          Aug 13 603          Aug 21 1370        Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -92          Dec 3 -133          Feb 17 -2450    A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -35          Apr 5 -58          Feb 16 -108    A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 418      381      555       
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 79      75      167       
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS -26      -35      -18       

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data