USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

10338500 Donner Creek at Donner Lake, near Truckee, CA

LOCATION - Lat 39°19'25", long 120°14'00" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SW 1/4 NW 1/4 sec.17, T.17 N., R.16 E., Nevada County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 16050102, in Donner Memorial State Park, on left bank, 10 ft downstream from bridge on Donner Memorial State Park road, 0.2 mi downstream from outlet of Donner Lake, 0.7 mi upstream from Cold Creek, and 2.5 mi west of Truckee.

DRAINAGE AREA - 14.3 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WDR CA-79-3: Drainage area.

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - November 1909 to August 1910, January 1929 to October 1935, January 1936 to March 1938, July to October 1938, January 1939 to February 1943, June 1943 to December 1952, May 1955 to December 1957, October 1958 to current year. Monthly discharge only prior to October 1958, published in WSP 1314 and 1734.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder and concrete control, completed Oct. 3, 1989. Datum of gage is 5,924.40 ft above NGVD of 1929 and 5,928.62 ft above NAVD of 1988. Nov. 1, 1909, to Aug. 31, 1910, nonrecording gage at different datum. January 1929 to December 1957, water-stage recorder at same site at unknown datum.

REMARKS - Flow completely regulated at dam at outlet of Donner Lake (station 10338400) since 1928. See schematic diagram of Truckee River Basin available from the California Water Science Center.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 863 ft³/s, Jan. 2, 1997, gage height, 6.69 ft; no flow at times in many years.