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) (579.20 ft NAVD 1988).
 

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 2003 TO SEPTEMBER 2004
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 79    82  103    103      e-10    -39    52    58    40  434  348  76   
2 31    78  31    -19      125    1.3 69    -4.4 34  392  413  -13   
3 5.5 38  -83    53      5.5 32    44    -32    73  329  414  14   
4 24    -13  -26    -68      -89    -3.1 3.9 -18    137  470  585  16   
5 60    19  -6.2 27      1.2 22    -87    -1.9 169  325  607  -9.8
 
6 -20    74  13    71      177    -38    30    20    216  460  505  24   
7 41    49  -68    144      2.5 73    -46    21    252  530  501  40   
8 146    -14  -47    141      82    109    80    -22    274  471  481  48   
9 120    -67  -47    109      33    12    20    -31    189  391  512  8.8
10 104    -29  151    -15      5.9 -27    26    21    82  351  512  1.0
 
11 45    91  79    0.19 14    86    94    -74    368  320  508  55   
12 127    88  29    -1.3   -83    50    39    -22    329  450  504  54   
13 163    94  -28    56      -42    -61    28    -12    449  588  519  43   
14 87    51  16    53      31    33    -34    e374    439  537  526  44   
15 104    -68  -83    121      42    -6.1 -77    37    366  517  485  168   
 
16 68    -22  37    -36      104    -66    -90    -51    352  545  476  179   
17 88    13  62    -81      3.6 -26    -54    24    554  576  301  -16   
18 67    71  60    155      48    3.8 -72    120    439  515  328  -18   
19 107    64  65    27      58    -50    17    26    447  509  429  5.6
20 96    -25  52    36      8.8 21    -15    14    375  576  358  18   
 
21 125    30  14    72      -21    48    98    10    366  571  285  34   
22 145    -35  -8.5 30      174    8.7 35    47    491  586  286  -14   
23 71    -38  35    66      94    -23    8.9 98    449  499  415  -40   
24 74    49  43    221      89    -95    151    14    392  397  305  -12   
25 106    -56  23    14      -72    -164    22    21    304  422  178  -42   
 
26 130    -60  153    12      67    -18    77    39    305  461  211  -48   
27 120    100  25    99      -55    -21    4.2 73    321  506  198  21   
28 41    101  -1.2 108      -4.3 -99    -86    77    326  499  275  238   
29 42    56  43    139      5.6 82    85    11    408  390  320  265   
30 -40    68  -12    107      ---    56    57    -68    394  381  363  304   
 
31 90    ---  36    262      ---    105    ---    74    ---  403  324  ---   

TOTAL 2446.5 789 660.1 2005.89 794.8 6.6 480.0 842.7 9340 14401 12472 1443.6
MEAN 78.9 26.3 21.3 64.7 27.4 0.21 16.0 27.2 311 465 402 48.1
MAX 163 101 153 262 177 109 151 374 554 588 607 304
MIN -40 -68 -83 -81 -89 -164 -90 -74 34 320 178 -48
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2004, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 235 90.4 56.1 75.9 51.3 62.8 77.3 146 339 512 517 381
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 78.9 26.3 -8.86 -10.0 -18.0 -0.38 -2.49 27.2 207 322 338 48.1
(WY) 2004 2004 2001 2001 2003 2003 2001 2004 2001 2001 2001 2004

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 2003 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2004 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2004
ANNUAL TOTAL 47913.1 45682.19
ANNUAL MEAN 131    125      213       
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN 465        1997
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN 119        2001
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 603        Aug 21 607          Aug 5 1370        Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -133        Feb 17 -164          Mar 25 -2450    A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -58        Feb 16 -59          Mar 22 -108    A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 381    448      534       
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 71    56      141       
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS -39    -39      -22       

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data