Station list     Available data
ILLINOIS RIVER BASIN


05586100       ILLINOIS RIVER AT VALLEY CITY, IL



LOCATION.-- Lat 39°42'12", long 90°38'43", in SE1/4NW1/4 sec.34, T.15 N., R.14 W., Scott County, Hydrologic Unit 07130011, on upstream side of Norfolk & Southern Corporation Railroad bridge at Flints Creek, 0.4 mi east of Valley City, 1.8 mi downstream from Mauvaise Terre Creek, and at mile 61.3.

DRAINAGE AREA.-- 26,743 mi2, does not include diversion from Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which has occurred since Jan. 17, 1900.

PERIOD OF RECORD.--
SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE
 

DISCHARGE: October 1938 to current year. Prior to October 1960, at site 0.2 mi upstream at same datum. Prior to October 1989, published as "at Meredosia." Records are considered equivalent.
 

STAGE: Water years 1994-2000.
SURFACE-WATER QUALITY
 

CHEMICAL: Water years 1975-93 and 1996 to current.
 

SEDIMENT: Water years 1980-99.
 

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: Water years 1975-81.
 

WATER TEMPERATURE: Water years 1975-81.
 

MISCELLANEOUS: Contaminants in streambed sediments, October 1996; contaminants in fish tissue, October 1996.
BIOLOGICAL: Algae, water years 1980-81; Benthic macroinvertebrates, September 1997, September 1998; fish, August 1998.

GAGE.-- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water-stage recorder, satellite telemeter and rain gage. Datum of gage is 418.00 ft above sea level (levels by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

REMARKS.-- Occasional regulation at low flow by navigation dam at La Grange. Since Jan. 17, 1900, flow has included diversion from Lake Michigan through Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Suspended-sediment samples were collected by a local observer twice weekly with additional samples collected during high runoff periods. Since February 1994, samples used to compute sediment record have been collected at upstream side Rt. 106 bridge at Florence at mile 56.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD.--
SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE: Maximum discharge, 123,000 ft3/s, May 26-28, 1943; maximum gage height, 28.61 ft, May 26, 1943; minimum daily discharge, 1,330 ft3/s, Sept. 2, 1984.
SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATIONS: Maximum daily, 3,720 mg/L, Apr. 14, 1981; minimum daily, 14 mg/L, Dec. 26, 1984, July 21, 1993.
SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT LOADS: Maximum daily, 410,000 tons, June 4, 1980; minimum daily, 172 tons, Sept. 2, 1984.

REMARKS FOR CURRENT YEAR.--Benthic macroinvertebrate community samples were collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program (NAWQA) in the lower Illinois River Basin. One quantitative (Richest-Targeted Habitat) and one qualitative (Qualitative-Multiple Habitat) sample were collected in accordance with the NAWQA protocols (Cuffney and others, 1993). The quantitative sample was a composite of macroinvertebrates from about 10 submerged tree branches. Branches were cut underwater, gathered in a 425µm mesh net, and invertebrates were washed or picked from the branches. The average length and average diameter of each branch were measured and used to calculate an approximate surface area. The qualitative sample was collected from many habitat types within the sampling reach to obtain as complete a list of invertebrate taxa as possible. All samples were processed by the USGS National Water-Quality Laboratory. Phylum, Class, Order, Suborder, Family, Subfamily, and Tribe are listed and arranged according to the USGS National Water-Quality Laboratory taxonomic hierarchy. The sampling reach begins at river mile 59, upstream of Big Blue Island, and continues downstream for 2460 ft. The surface area sampled was 0.27 m2.
BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES
[sp., species; A, Adults; LV, Larvae; P, Pupae; X, present; -, not found]
PHYLUM
Class
Order
(Suborder)
Family Reach A
Subfamily 9/11/98
(Tribe)
Taxon Life stage Quantitative Qualitative
CNIDARIA
Hydridae
Hydra sp. 75 -
MOLLUSCA
Gastropoda
Gastropoda - X
Pleuroceridae
Pleurocera sp. - X
Bivalvia
Unionidae
Unionidae - X
Amblema plicata (Say) - X
Lampsilis teres (Rafinesque) - X
Leptodea fragilis (Rafinesque) - X
Potamilus alatus (Say) - X
Quadrula pustulosa (Lea) - X
Quadrula quadrula (Rafinesque) - X
Truncilla truncata Rafinesque - X
Corbiculidae
Corbicula sp. - X
Sphaeriidae
Sphaeriidae - X
ANNELIDA
Oligochaeta
Lumbriculidae
Lumbriculidae - X
Naididae
Naididae 75 -
ARTHROPODA
Insecta
Ephemeroptera
(Furcatergalia)
Leptohyphidae
Tricorythodes sp. LV 14 -
(Pisciforma)
Baetidae
Labiobaetis longipalpus (Morihara and McCafferty) LV 3 -
(Setisura)
Heptageniidae
Stenonema pulchellum (Walsh)/terminatum (Walsh) LV - X
Stenonema mexicanum (Ulmer) LV 12 X
Odonata
(Zygoptera)
Coenagrionidae
Argia sp. LV - X
(Anisoptera)
Gomphidae
Gomphus sp. LV - X
Trichoptera
(Annulipalpia)
Hydropsychidae
Hydropsychidae LV 163 -
Hydropsychinae
Hydropsyche bidens Ross LV 73 X
Hydropsyche bidens Ross/orris Ross LV 258 X
Hydropsyche bidens Ross/orris Ross P 11 -
Hydropsyche orris Ross LV 180 X
Hydropsyche rossi Flint, Voshell, and Parker/simulans Ross LV 3 -
Polycentropodidae
Polycentropodinae
Cyrnellus fraternus (Banks) LV 106 -
Cyrnellus fraternus (Banks) P - X
Cyrnellus fraternus (Banks) A - X
(Integripalpia)
Leptoceridae
Leptocerinae
Nectopsyche candida (Hagen) LV - X
Coleoptera
(Adephaga)
Gyrinidae
Gyrinidae LV - X
Dineutus sp. A - X
Gyrinus sp. A - X
(Polyphaga)
Elmidae
Ancyronyx variegata (Germar) LV 6 -
Macronychus glabratus Say A - X
Diptera
(Nematocera)
Ceratopogonidae
Ceratopogonidae P 3 -
Chironomidae
Chironomidae LV 2 -
Chironomidae P 9 -
Chironomidae A 3 -
Chironominae
Chironominae P 18 -
(Chironomini)
Chironomini LV 18 -
Cryptochironomus sp. LV - X
Dicrotendipes sp. LV 21 -
Glyptotendipes sp. LV 27 X
Parachironomus sp. LV 6 -
Polypedilum sp. LV 201 X
(Tanytarsini)
Rheotanytarsus sp. LV 36 -
Orthocladiinae
Cricotopus bicinctus group LV 3 -
Nanocladius sp. LV 12 -
(Pentaneurini)
Pentaneurini LV 3 -
Ablabesmyia sp. LV 12 X
(Brachycera)
Empididae
Empididae LV 3 -


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data