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 2001 TO SEPTEMBER 2002
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 260    23    45    114      57      107    -59      43    270  455  596  353 
2 263    104    11    70      60      168    -13      84    211  442  547  256 
3 305    68    21    -0.95 15      119    -1.1   47    397  433  449  422 
4 200    34    -59    7.8   -85      115    -4.8   13    567  409  435  299 
5 530    -3.1 -20    0.49 -9.1   -12    6.8   42    175  392  612  266 
 
6 e194    -16    59    10      -0.98 75    -40      32    173  279  470  311 
7 e192    101    63    73      47      11    -59      60    156  284  450  241 
8 e210    41    70    -20      5.5   127    -52      -34    162  314  435  238 
9 e184    13    21    -2.5   -29      117    -0.33 161    155  365  432  306 
10 e201    65    31    7.4   82      89    -84      31    138  356  445  341 
 
11 67    23    -27    13      -39      -32    -18      20    466  274  495  434 
12 188    -24    -8.0 -15      42      -6.7 26      71    315  275  570  145 
13 87    -35    -38    130      28      35    37      85    265  296  816  e221 
14 78    221    78    113      -26      -62    17      24    270  302  433  e233 
15 31    204    -55    89      31      91    8.1   60    267  383  473  e243 
 
16 134    67    -23    -13      80      -53    -15      84    236  433  473  e234 
17 17    -50    56    88      101      -40    -3.9   48    266  306  377  e225 
18 -43    -89    60    73      -51      93    -80      e43    201  378  293  212 
19 54    -13    95    34      -56      -54    58      e39    257  522  576  336 
20 16    49    71    106      0.36 -11    79      66    318  409  399  121 
 
21 108    42    13    18      102      75    234      3.2 311  448  259  160 
22 342    -22    -79    -7.9   62      65    76      -4.9 282  440  158  131 
23 239    -48    50    -12      -11      30    -42      104    314  560  510  227 
24 120    -61    81    -18      -22      36    56      92    334  359  e395  113 
25 -8.3 61    71    -88      48      -5.4 85      365    476  369  e415  79 
 
26 39    -25    41    20      47      -12    20      38    291  454  372  149 
27 -28    28    10    -2.1   38      -78    294      64    283  383  381  269 
28 -70    29    22    -32      8.8   -77    81      34    373  501  368  108 
29 105    43    79    3.5   ---      5.1 95      53    284  560  375  157 
30 71    59    59    -72      ---      44    29      62    308  554  389  230 
 
31 125    ---    35    -49      ---      31    ---      244    ---  550  375  --- 

TOTAL 4210.7 888.9 833.0 637.74 525.58 990.0 729.77 2073.3 8521 12485 13773 7060
MEAN 136 29.6 26.9 20.6 18.8 31.9 24.3 66.9 284 403 444 235
MAX 530 221 95 130 102 168 294 365 567 560 816 434
MIN -70 -89 -79 -88 -85 -78 -84 -34 138 274 158 79
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2002, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 274 108 70.6 88.2 66.9 83.8 91.6 172 358 549 550 457
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 -17.5 8.35 -2.49 40.3 207 322 338 235
(WY) 2001 2002 2001 2001 2000 2001 2001 2000 2001 2001 2001 2002

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 2001 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2002 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2002
ANNUAL TOTAL 44677.96 52727.99
ANNUAL MEAN 122      144      240         
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN 465          1997
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN 119          2001
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 786          Aug 19 816          Aug 13 1370          Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -342          Aug 2 -89          Nov 18 -2450      A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -54          Jan 8 -35          Apr 5 -108      A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 355      426      585         
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 71      78      184         
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS -48      -27      -16         

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data