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 1998 TO SEPTEMBER 1999
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 350  100    45    2.3 -11    e26    -44      51  328  379  622  494 
2 202  77    55    -223    11    e24    -10      62  248  426  603  432 
3 232  66    128    -9.8 136    e29    -47      47  246  388  536  514 
4 281  144    79    155    79    e72    -34      11  210  442  600  568 
5 243  149    81    132    118    e31    51      22  277  396  574  559 
 
6 381  114    41    140    100    e32    86      68  271  329  568  630 
7 381  103    98    109    43    e27    93      125  274  409  486  505 
8 333  121    54    23    80    e26    66      125  178  458  644  503 
9 284  18    91    -16    37    e30    443      67  239  405  480  566 
10 264  -4.2 99    -32    132    e26    35      30  516  399  624  448 
 
11 262  112    88    -16    -22    e27    113      66  265  402  577  395 
12 381  12    71    -86    5.4 e25    -11      177  416  459  519  327 
13 256  -22    103    -11    70    e25    -33      220  280  482  534  457 
14 262  96    79    -4.2 34    e27    -0.33 107  345  494  604  417 
15 192  105    94    26    85    e25    50      58  307  544  540  350 
 
16 254  74    87    49    e27    e21    243      113  300  549  572  312 
17 293  71    90    -20    e29    e20    116      408  244  282  585  272 
18 251  54    -2.3 40    e60    e20    3.1   188  259  548  443  249 
19 265  234    33    63    e319    e23    -49      120  287  714  357  259 
20 174  167    39    -4.7 e30    e21    -77      112  310  607  555  338 
 
21 168  56    58    -3.7 e31    e24    121      165  347  525  514  236 
22 152  71    -140    76    e29    e25    220      177  345  571  533  341 
23 246  50    -262    225    e27    e111    130      177  320  420  498  339 
24 256  24    -234    127    e27    e128    67      179  306  487  341  219 
25 258  29    -98    124    e27    32    21      149  358  540  348  241 
 
26 327  53    18    -20    e24    -24    -4.5   159  322  651  657  273 
27 349  8.7 68    -51    e25    -5.4 46      178  320  535  541  218 
28 408  61    59    53    e25    86    209      167  379  542  533  311 
29 129  93    -10    -51    ---    152    106      154  358  680  530  280 
30 496  225    -85    -1.6 ---    119    89      175  351  678  484  508 
 
31 250  ---    32    -39    ---    40    ---      149  ---  783  470  --- 

TOTAL 8580 2461.5 858.7 755.3 1577.4 1244.6 1998.27 4006 9206 15524 16472 11561
MEAN 277 82.0 27.7 24.4 56.3 40.1 66.6 129 307 501 531 385
MAX 496 234 128 225 319 152 443 408 516 783 657 630
MIN 129 -22 -262 -223 -22 -24 -77 11 178 282 341 218
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 1999, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 386 170 126 176 139 149 170 279 475 725 702 587
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 277 82.0 27.7 24.4 56.3 40.1 66.6 129 307 501 531 385
(WY) 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 1998 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 1999 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 1999
ANNUAL TOTAL 118759.31 74244.77
ANNUAL MEAN 325      203     
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 1160          Aug 6 783          Jul 31 1370        Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -262          Dec 23 -262          Dec 23 -2450    A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -88          Dec 20 -88          Dec 20 -108    A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 796      531      807       
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 250      132      301       
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS 32      -2.9   27       

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data