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Water-Year Summary for Site 12450700

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  • Water-Year Summary reports summarize a year of hydrologic data in a printer-friendly format.
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Available Parameters
00060 Discharge(Mean)  

Water year 2023: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30
 
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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023
12450700 COLUMBIA RIVER BELOW WELLS DAM, WA
LOCATION - Lat 47°56'48", long 119°51'56" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SW 1/4 SE 1/4 sec.06, T.28 N., R.24 E., Chelan County, WA, Hydrologic Unit 17020005, at powerhouse of Wells Dam, 0.7 mi northeast of Azwell, and at mile 515.9. Auxiliary GAGE: Base Lat 47 52'11", long 119 54'55", in NW 1/4 NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 27 N., R. 23 E., Chelan County, Hydrologic Unit 17020005, on right bank 6.7 mi downstream from Wells Dam and at mile 509.1.
DRAINAGE AREA - 86,100 mi².
REVISIONS HISTORY - Daily mean discharges for the period Oct. 1, 1967 to Dec. 17, 2021 were revised on June 21, 2023, based on changes to reported dates of values previously reported as 1 day in advance.
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1967 to current year. October 1953 to September 1967 (monthly discharge only) in the files of the U.S. Geological Survey.
GAGE - Daily discharge determined from flow through turbines plus spillway flow when present. Datum of gage is NGVD of 1929 (levels by Bechtel Corporation). Prior to Oct. 1, 1970, at site 0.8 mi downstream at same datum. Oct. 1, 1970, to July 20, 1988, water-stage recorder at present site and datum with auxiliary water-stage recorder 6.8 mi downstream from base gage at same datum.
COOPERATION - Discharge records provided by Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County at Wells Dam through the Corps of Engineers, North Pacific Division, Reservoir Control Center. The U.S. Geological Survey makes discharge measurements at this site during the year.
REMARKS - Flow regulated by numerous reservoirs. Feeder Canal diversion (station 12435500) for Columbia Basin project is used to irrigate approximately 600,000 acres in the United States. An additional 66,500 acres in Canada are irrigated by other diversions.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum daily discharge, 402,000 ft³/s, June 15, 1972; maximum elevation, 731.92 ft, June 16, 1972; minimum discharge, 17,900 ft³/s, Oct. 5, 1970 (from powerplant records); 12,300 ft³/s measured, February 24, 2010; minimum elevation, 703.55 ft, Sept. 28, 1980.