Station list     Available data
ILLINOIS RIVER BASIN


05531500       SALT CREEK AT WESTERN SPRINGS, IL

 

LOCATION.-- Lat 41°49'33", long 87°54'01" (NAD of 1983), in NE1/4SE1/4 sec.31, T.39 N., R.12 E., Cook County, Hydrologic Unit 07120004, on left pier at upstream side of bridge on Wolf Road, in Cook County Forest Preserve, 0.5 mi north of Western Springs, and at mile 8.8.

 

DRAINAGE AREA.-- 115 mi2.

 

PERIOD OF RECORD.--

SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE

 

DISCHARGE: October 1945 to current year.

 

STAGE: Water years 1994 to current year.

SURFACE-WATER QUALITY

 

CHEMICAL: Water years 1978-91 and 1999 to current year.

 

DISSOLVED OXYGEN: Water years 2001-2003.
PH: Water years 2001-2003.

 

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: Water years 2001-2003.

 

TURBIDITY: Water years 2001-2003.

 

WATER TEMPERATURE: Water years 2001-2003.

 

MISCELLANEOUS: Contaminants in streambed sediments, August 1998; contaminants in fish tissue, August 1998.

BIOLOGICAL

 

ALGAE: Water years 1989-90, 1999, and 2002-05.

 

BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES: Water years 1999 and 2002-05.

 

FISH: Water years 1999-2000 and 2002-05.

 

HABITAT: Water years 1999-2000 and 2002-05.

 

REVISED RECORDS.-- WSP 1915: Drainage area. WRD IL-87-2: Drainage area. WRD IL-97-2: July 21 - Sept. 26, 1996.

 

GAGE.-- Water-stage recorder, phone telemeter, and crest-stage gage. Datum of gage is 624.93 ft above NGVD of 1929 (624.64 ft NAVD 1988). Prior to July 26, 1946, nonrecording gage at same site and datum.

 

REMARKS.-- Occasional regulation by sewage treatment plants upstream from station. Since May 28, 1996, some flow temporarily diverted for flood control to Elmhurst Quarry Flood Control Reservoir 12.3 miles upstream from gage.

 

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD.--

SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE: Maximum discharge, 3,540 ft3/s, Aug. 17, 1987, gage height, 10.54 ft; minimum, no flow, May 27, 1998, due to bridge construction.

 

REMARKS FOR CURRENT YEAR.--Benthic macroinvertebrate community samples were collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program (NAWQA) in the upper Illinois River Basin. One quantitative (Richest-Targeted Habitat) and one qualitative (Qualitative-Multiple Habitat) sample were collected in accordance with the NAWQA protocols (Moulton and others, 2002). The quantitative sample was a composite of macroinvertebrates from about ten submerged tree branches. Branches were cut underwater, gathered in a 500µm 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. Reach A, lat 41°49'41.60", long 87°54'28.40", is located 187 ft upstream of the walking bridge (0.63 mi upstream from gage) in the Bemis Woods west of Wolf Road and north of Ogden Avenue; it continues upstream for 984 ft. The surface area sampled at reach A was 0.26 m2.



BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES
[sp., species; A, Adults; LV, Larvae; P, Pupae; X, present; -, not found or not applicable; dam., damaged; imm., immature; indet., indeterminate; mount, poor mount; ref., reference]

PHYLUM
Class
Order
(Suborder)
Family
Subfamily Quantitative sample
(Tribe) Life stage
Qualitative sample Laboratory notes
Taxon Abundance
(count)
Density
(number/m2)
present/absent

Reach A
7/19/2004

ANNELIDA
Hirudinea
Arhynchobdellae
Erpobdellidae
Erpobdellidae - - - X -
Oligochaeta
Tubificida
(Tubificina)
Naididae
Naididae - 23 88 - -
Tubificidae
Tubificidae - - - X -
ARTHROPODA
Arachnida
Acari - 92 353 - -
Insecta
Coleoptera
(Polyphaga)
Elmidae
Dubiraphia sp. A - - X -
Stenelmis crenata (Say) A - - X -
Stenelmis grossa Sanderson A 23 88 X -
Stenelmis sp. L - - X -
Hydrophilidae
Berosus sp. A - - X -
Diptera
(Brachycera)
Brachycera A 12 46 - -
Empididae
Hemerodromiinae
Hemerodromia sp. L 58 223 X -
Hemerodromiinae P 46 177 X -
(Nematocera)
Chironomidae
Chironomidae L - - X -
Chironomidae P 35 134 - dam.
Chironominae
Chironominae P 23 88 - -
(Chironomini)
Chironomini L - - X -
Chironomus sp. L - - X -
Cryptochironomus sp. L - - X -
Dicrotendipes sp. L - - X -
Polypedilum sp. L 334 1282 X -
Stenochironomus sp. L 12 46 X -
Orthocladiinae
Cricotopus bicinctus group L 46 177 X -
Cricotopus sp. L 23 88 X -
Cricotopus trifascia group L 69 265 X -
Cricotopus/Orthocladius sp. L 12 46 - -
Cricotopus/Orthocladius sp. P 12 46 - -
Orthocladiinae P 46 177 - -
Rheocricotopus sp. L 23 88 X -
Tanypodinae
(Pentaneurini)
Thienemannimyia group sp. (Coffman and Ferrington, 1996) L 58 223 X -
(Procladiini)
Procladius sp. L - - X -
Simuliidae
Simuliidae L 12 46 X imm.
Ephemeroptera
(Furcatergalia)
Leptohyphidae
Tricorythodes sp. L 69 265 X -
(Pisciforma)
Baetidae
Baetidae L 265 1017 - imm.; dam.
Baetis intercalaris McDunnough L 968 3715 X -
Baetis sp. L 230 883 - -
(Setisura)
Heptageniidae
Stenacron interpunctatum (Say) L 12 46 X -
Hemiptera
(Heteroptera)
Corixidae
Corixinae
(Corixini)
Trichocorixa sp. A - - X -
Gerridae
Trepobatinae
Metrobates hesperius Uhler A - - X -
Veliidae
Rhagoveliinae
Rhagovelia oriander Parshley A - - X -
Odonata
(Zygoptera)
Calopterygidae
Hetaerina americana (Fabricius) L - - X -
Hetaerina sp. L - - X -
Trichoptera
(Annulipalpia)
Hydropsychidae
Hydropsychidae L 173 664 - imm.; dam.
Hydropsychinae
Ceratopsyche sp. L 12 46 - -
Cheumatopsyche sp. L 1048 4021 X -
Hydropsyche depravata group L 81 311 X -
Hydropsyche sp. L 161 618 X -
(Spicipalpia)
Hydroptilidae
Hydroptilinae
Hydroptila sp. L 46 177 X -
Hydroptila sp. P 23 88 - -
Malacostraca
Decapoda
(Pleocyemata)
Cambaridae
Cambarinae
Orconectes sp. - - - X -
Isopoda
(Asellota)
Asellidae
Caecidotea sp. - - - X -
MOLLUSCA
Bivalvia
Veneroida
Corbiculidae
Corbicula sp. - 12 46 X -
Sphaeriidae
Pisidiinae
Pisidium sp. - - - X -
Gastropoda
Basommatophora
Ancylidae
Ancylidae - 23 88 - imm.; dam.
Ferrissia sp. - 35 134 X -
Physidae
Physinae
Physa sp. - - - X -
Mesogastropoda
Hydrobiidae
Hydrobiidae - - - X -
Pleuroceridae
Pleurocera sp. - - - X -
PLATYHELMINTHES
Turbellaria
Turbellaria - 69 265 X -



Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data