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 2004 TO SEPTEMBER 2005
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
 
1 73    -27    94    e-5.6 -49    20    36      53      107  360  232  593 
2 63    279    41    31    -13    44    13      56      199  132  227  595 
3 35    -42    -15    -63    41    164    -5.6   30      237  210  251  605 
4 98    69    103    -88    -2.7 175    -47      -28      141  260  201  608 
5 41    71    -44    -93    -9.3 83    -66      -64      169  329  220  582 
 
6 73    76    -68    -7.3 -96    77    -99      29      247  309  217  572 
7 85    64    20    126    20    46    84      53      188  282  225  612 
8 147    52    -47    266    40    26    20      -57      185  292  272  633 
9 54    -41    -63    62    112    26    -9.7   -20      177  273  240  610 
10 27    -65    25    -182    40    24    -31      19      194  254  276  538 
 
11 -56    39    92    51    22    18    -75      e552      203  301  239  550 
12 -72    21    74    109    57    -1.3 -23      10      229  307  164  534 
13 18    -34    139    131    31    127    58      0.91 105  252  130  505 
14 90    -86    63    160    83    118    64      72      e203  280  190  584 
15 133    -25    8.1 100    29    57    3.0   70      e215  286  283  312 
 
16 122    -89    60    33    63    104    -5.2   3.4   e212  249  263  509 
17 90    34    -14    -7.6 23    -77    29      -50      e220  258  360  501 
18 10    -2.5 e-8.8 -55    122    -29    -41      -68      e219  298  156  556 
19 -21    -45    e-1.2 1.4 104    -1.6 -4.0   -54      e211  223  307  382 
20 -49    -21    e-14    -98    41    102    106      10      e213  216  330  549 
 
21 -22    49    e-9.9 9.6 41    11    -0.49 38      e211  279  303  506 
22 -115    -41    e-12    -100    85    -36    e13      205      e216  202  351  468 
23 46    4.2 e-8.1 194    76    -33    57      125      e207  206  83  554 
24 -21    -9.6 e-12    155    25    -94    69      63      e203  241  174  495 
25 4.2 49    e-15    164    2.2 -22    128      60      e211  221  294  260 
 
26 32    -97    e-6.4 171    -106    -53    104      37      e222  219  228  729 
27 2.1 79    e-7.6 236    -93    -80    76      71      e211  279  359  646 
28 -78    75    e-13    214    -14    -45    38      55      e216  158  322  572 
29 5.2 -8.7 e-9.2 -103    ---    -62    -24      35      e215  189  363  691 
30 180    25    e-12    164    ---    -34    29      -6.3   e262  175  417  506 
 
31 57    ---    e-8.7 65    ---    43    ---      16      ---  168  508  --- 

TOTAL 1051.5 352.4 330.2 1640.5 674.2 697.1 496.01 1316.01 6048 7708 8185 16357
MEAN 33.9 11.7 10.7 52.9 24.1 22.5 16.5 42.5 202 249 264 545
MAX 180 279 139 266 122 175 128 552 262 360 508 729
MIN -115 -97 -68 -182 -106 -94 -99 -68 105 132 83 260
e Estimated
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2005, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
MEAN 213 81.7 51.1 73.3 48.3 58.3 70.6 135 324 483 489 400
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 33.9 11.7 -8.86 -10.0 -18.0 -0.38 -2.49 27.2 202 249 264 48.1
(WY) 2005 2005 2001 2001 2003 2003 2001 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004

SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 2004 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2005 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1997 - 2005
ANNUAL TOTAL 43520.69 44855.92
ANNUAL MEAN 119      123      203       
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN 465        1997
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN 119        2001
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 607          Aug 5 729          Sep 26 1370        Aug 6 1997
LOWEST DAILY MEAN -164          Mar 25 -182          Jan 10 -2450    A Feb 21 1997
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM -59          Mar 22 -56          Mar 24 -108    A Feb 21 1997
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 448      338      525       
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 45      65      128       
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS -44      -48      -24       

A - Due to regulation to prevent flooding.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data