USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 01453000

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	00060 Discharge(Mean)

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Water year 2023: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

01453000 LEHIGH RIVER AT BETHLEHEM, PA

LOCATION - Lat 40°36'55", long 75°22'45" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, Lehigh County, PA, 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 mi². (includes that of Monocacy Creek).

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 261: 1903-5. WSP 321: 1910-11. WSP 1051: Drainage area. WSP 1141: 1929-34(M). WSP 1302: 1914(M), 1916(M), 1918, 1921, 1927-28. WSP 1432: 1903, 1919(M), 1920-21, 1929, 1933.

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

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 and crest-stage 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. (Drainage area of 1,229 mi² does not include Monocacy Creek.) 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 NGVD 29. 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, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Geological Survey through the Cooperative Water Program.

REMARKS - Flow regulated by Wild Creek Reservoir (station 01449700) since January 1941, Penn Forest Reservoir (station 01449400) since October 1958, Francis E. Walter Reservoir (station 01447780) since February 1961, and Beltzville Lake (station 01449790) since February 1971. Records for water year 2014-2021 and 2023 are fair except those for estimated discharge, which is poor. Records for water year 2022 are good except for estimated discharge, which is poor.

EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - Flood of Feb. 28, 1902 reached a stage of 24.9 ft, from floodmark, present site and datum, discharge, about 88,000 ft³/s.