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- Water-Year Summary reports summarize a year of hydrologic data in a printer-friendly format.
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USGS Water-Year Summary 2024
05046000 OTTER TAIL RIVER BELOW ORWELL DAM, NEAR FERGUS FALLS, MN
LOCATION - Lat 46°12'35", long 96°11'05" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in NE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec.34, T.132 N., R.44 W., Otter Tail County, MN, Hydrologic Unit 09020103, on left bank 0.7 mi downstream from Orwell Dam on County Highway 15, 6.1 mi downstream from Dayton Hollow Dam, 8 mi southwest of Fergus Falls, and 11.1 mi downstream from Pelican River.
DRAINAGE AREA - 1,740 mi².
REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 785: 1934(M). WSP 1208: 1947(M). WSP 1308: 1931(M).
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1930 to current year. Prior to October 1952, published as "Otter Tail River below Pelican River, near Fergus Falls". Monthly discharge only for some periods, published in WSP 1308.
GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 1,029.65 ft above sea level ((NGVD of 1912, levels by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Oct. 11, 1930 to Nov. 17, 1933, at same site at datum 2.00 ft higher; Nov. 18, 1933 to Mar. 21, 1953, at site 6.1 mi upstream at datum 40.30 ft higher.
REMARKS - Flow regulated at outlet of Orwell Lake beginning Mar. 21, 1953, and by power plants upstream.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 2,380 ft³/s, gage height, 5.70 ft, June 20, 2014 (due in part to regulation); maximum daily-mean discharge, 2,380 ft³/s, June 21, 2014; minimum discharge, 0.7 ft³/s, Aug. 5, 1970 (due to regulation).
