USGS Water-Year Summary 2023
11471500 Eel River at Van Arsdale Dam, near Potter Valley, CA
LOCATION - Lat 39°23'19", long 123°06'54" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in NE 1/4 sec.30, T.18 N., R.11 W., Mendocino County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18010103, on left bank, 1,000 ft downstream from Van Arsdale Dam, and 4.6 mi north of Potter Valley.
DRAINAGE AREA - 349 mi².
REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1315-B: 1913, 1920-23, 1925-27. WSP 1395: 1923 (instantaneous maximum discharge), 1938. WDR CA-04-2: 2001.
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - November 1909 to September 1922 (combined monthly discharge only, of Eel River at this station and Snow Mountain Water and Power Co.'s tailrace near Potter Valley), October 1922 to current year. Monthly discharge only for some periods, published in WSP 1315-B. Prior to October 1929, published as "South Eel River at Van Arsdale Dam, near Potter Valley."
GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Elevation of gage is 1,400 ft above NGVD of 1929, from topographic map. Nov. 18, 1909, to Mar. 3, 1927, recorder in reservoir 800 ft upstream from Van Arsdale Dam at different datum. Oct. 1, 1927, to Feb. 28, 1937, nonrecording gage at present site and datum.
COOPERATION - Records collected by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., under general supervision of the U.S. Geological Survey, in connection with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project no. 77.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 64,100 ft³/s, Dec. 22, 1964, gage height, 33.9 ft, maximum gage height, 34.74 ft, Dec. 31, 2005; no flow at times.