USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

03151000 OHIO RIVER AT PARKERSBURG, WV

LOCATION - Lat 39°16'05", long 81°33'50" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, Wood County, WV, Hydrologic Unit 05030202, on left downstream side of bridge on U.S. Highway 50 at Parkersburg, 0.3 mi upstream from Little Kanawha River, at at mile 184.4 (measured downstream from Pittsburgh, PA).

DRAINAGE AREA - 35,650 mi².

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1925 to September 1939 (annual maximum gage height), January 1940 to September 1968 (daily discharge and annual maxima), October 1969 to September 1977 (annual maximum gage height), October 2012 to current year (daily mean gage height). Gage-height records collected at same site since 1888 are contained in reports of National Weather Service.

GAGE - Base gage, water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 560.72 ft above NAVD 88 (VERTCON conversion of 561.34 ft above NGVD 29, 561.87 ft above Ohio River Datum, levels by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Prior to Apr. 25, 1950, water-stage recorder at Baltimore & Ohio Railroad bridge at same datum. Auxillary gage, water-stage recorder 0.4 mi downstream from lock and dam 18, and 4.0 mi upstream from base gage; prior to Nov. 13, 1948, water-stage recorder at lock 18.

REMARKS - Flow partially regulated by Ohio River system of locks, dams, and reservoirs.

EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum known discharge, 593,000 ft³/s, Mar. 29, 1913, gage height, 58.9 ft.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 440,000 ft³/s, Jan. 1, 1943, gage height, 49.03 ft; minimum daily recorded, 2,290 ft³/s, Oct. 1, 1955.

AVERAGE DISCHARGE FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - 28 years, 48,230 ft³/s.