STATION.--01453000 LEHIGH RIVER AT BETHLEHEM, PA
LOCATION.--Lat 40`36'55", long 75`22'45", Lehigh County, Hydrologic Unit 02040106, on left bank 110 ft upstream from bridge on New Street at Bethlehem, and 1,800 ft upstream from Monocacy Creek. Records include flow of Monocacy Creek.
DRAINAGE AREA.--1,279 square miles (includes that of Monocacy Creek). At site used prior to Oct. 1, 1928, 1,229 square miles.
PERIOD OF RECORD.--October 1902 to January 1905, May 1909 to current year. Monthly discharge only for some periods, published in WSP 1302. Published as "at South Bethlehem" prior to October 1913.
GAGE.--Water-stage recorder, crest-stage gage, and heated tipping bucket precipitation gage. Datum of gage is 210.26 ft above North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Prior to October 1928, non-recording gage at New Street bridge 120 ft downstream at same datum. Oct. 1, 1928, to Sept. 30, 1962, water-stage recorder at site 4,250 ft downstream at datum 2.49 ft lower. Oct. 1, 1963, to Dec. 14, 1975, water-stage recorder at site 40 ft downstream at same datum. Prior to August 2, 2023, the datum was reported as 210.94 ft above NGVD29. Satellite and landline telemetry at station.
COOPERATION.--Station established and maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. Funding for the operation of this station is provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Geological Survey.
REMARKS.--Some regulation at low flow stages from power operation station upstream. Francis E. Walter Dam will reduce normal peak flows.

The 15-minute precipitation data for this station are temporary and will only be displayed for 120 days. Time series of 1-hour or cumulative daily values will NOT be available for retrieval following the 120-day display period. Although the instrumentation is calibrated at least once a year, the temporary classification means that documented routine inspections and other quality assurance measures are not performed that would make the data acceptable for archival, retrieval, or future use in general scientific or interpretive studies.

GAGE HEIGHTS OF IMPORTANCE.-
Supplied by USGS: Maximum recordable gage height (stage sensor operational limit) - 26.5 ft;
Supplied by NWS: Action stage-12 ft, at 14 ft, flooding begins upstream in Allentown; backwater affects Little Lehigh and Jordan Creeks; Flood stage-16 ft, Wilson Avenue takes on water; Moderate flood stage-20 ft; Major flood stage-22 ft, at 25 ft, levees in Bethlehem are topped.