USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 05115500

Click to hide Water-Year Summary instructions and information

Water-Year Summary reports summarize a year of hydrologic data in a printer-friendly format.
For water years 2014 onward, choose a water year and parameter and an on-demand Water-Year Summary report will be generated.
For water years 2006 through 2013, choose a water year and an Annual Water Data Report will be provided.
For water years 2005 and earlier, Annual Water Data Reports may be available in digital format.
Not all sites have reports available for every water year.

	Available Parameters
	00010 Temperature, water(Mean)
	00065 Gage height(Mean)
	62614 Elevation, lake/res, NGVD29(Mean)

Select a water year

Water year 2024: 2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30

Print this page

USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

05115500 LAKE DARLING NEAR FOXHOLM, ND

LOCATION - Lat 48°27'29", long 101°35'00" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in NE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec.1, T.157 N., R.85 W., Ward County, ND, Hydrologic Unit 09010008, on embankment of Lake Darling Dam, reservoir of Fish and Wildlife Service, on Souris River about 6 mi north of Foxholm. River mile 430.0 (USACE Water Control Manual).

DRAINAGE AREA - 9,450 mi² of which 6,200 mi² probably is noncontributing.

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1338: 1942. WSP 2113: Drainage area.

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - April 1936 to current year (no winter records 1936-39).

GAGE -

Datum of the gage is 1501.06 feet above North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD88) and 1499.82 feet above National Geodetic Vertical Datum 1929 (NGVD29).

Previous locations and datums are as follows:

April 10^th, 1936, to August 30^th, 1959; a nonrecording gage was established at 101º35’7.48” W, 48º27’27.16” N (WGS84) on control structure of US Biological Survey (now [2022] known as US Fish and Wildlife Services) reservoir called Lake Darling, on upper Souris River, about 6 miles north of Foxholm, ND. Staff gages at a datum 77.18 feet higher.

July 1^st, 1959, to August 8^th, 1963; nonrecording gage of staff plates and a wire weight gage at original location at a datum of 77.18 feet higher.

August 9^th, 1963, to September 30^th, 1993; recording gage at original location at a datum 77.18 feet higher.

October 1^st, 1993, to September 30^th, 2022; recording gage at original location. Data were published in elevation in NGVD29.

October 1^st, 2022, to present; recording gage at original location at current datum.

REMARKS -

Reservoir is formed by earth dam; storage began in April 1936; dam completed in July 1936. Usable capacity, 118,600 acre-ft between elevation of 1,577 ft, sill of control gages, and 1,598 ft, legal full-capacity level. Flood-emergency maximum level is 1,601 ft (148,600 acre-ft). Dead storage below sill at control gages is 144 acre-ft. Figures given herein represent total contents based on capacity table dated April 12, 1995 (provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Water is used during periods of low flow at wildlife refuges downstream.

EXTREMES FOR WATER YEAR 2014.--Maximum daily contents, 126,020 acre-ft, July 1, elevation, 1,598.75 ft,
wind aided; maximum elevation, 1598.93 ft, July 1, wind aided; minimum daily contents, 98,370 acre-ft,
many days in February and March, elevation, 1,595.90 ft.

MONTHEND ELEVATION AND CONTENTS AT 2400, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 2013 TO SEPTEMBER 2014

Date        Elevation, in ft   Contents, in acre-ft   Change in contents
Sep. 30         1,596.77            106,680
Oct. 31         1,596.39            103,040               -3,640
Nov. 30         1,596.31            102,270                 -770
Dec. 31         1,596.13            100,560               -1,710
CAL YR 2013      -------            -------               +2,950 
Jan. 31         1,595.98             99,130               -1,430
Feb. 28         1,595.91             98,470                 -660
Mar. 31         1,597.58            114,520              +16,050
Apr. 30         1,596.34            102,560              -11,960
May 31          1,596.80            106,970               +4,410
June 30         1,598.74            125,920              +18,950
July 31         1,596.80            106,970              -18,950
Aug. 31         1,596.99            108,800               +1,830
Sep. 30         1,597.41            112,870               +4,070
WTR YR 2014      -------            -------               +6,190

EXTREMES FOR WATER YEAR 2015.--Maximum daily contents, 115,890 acre-ft, May 17, elevation,
 1,597.72 ft, wind aided; maximum elevation, 1,598.03 ft, May 17, wind aided; minimum daily
 contents, 98,090 acre-ft, January 23, elevation, 1,595.87 ft.
MONTHEND ELEVATION AND CONTENTS AT 2400, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 2014 TO SEPTEMBER 2015

Date        Elevation, in ft   Contents, in acre-ft   Change in contents
Sep. 30         1,597.41            112,870
Oct. 31         1,596.94            108,320               -4,550
Nov. 30         1,596.38            102,940               -5,380
Dec. 31         1,596.19            101,130               -1,810
CAL YR 2014      -------            -------                 +570 
Jan. 31         1,595.92             98,560               -2,570
Feb. 28         1,595.94             98,750                 +190
Mar. 31         1,596.90            107,930               +9,180
Apr. 30         1,597.31            111,900               +3,970
May 31          1,597.11            109,960               -1,940
June 30         1,597.20            110,830                 +870
July 31         1,596.89            107,830               -3,000
Aug. 31         1,596.97            108,600                 +770
Sep. 30         1,596.85            107,450               -1,150
WTR YR 2015      -------            -------               -5,420

EXTREMES FOR WATER YEAR 2016.--Maximum daily contents, 107,350 acre-ft, October 12, elevation,
 1,596.84 ft; minimum daily contents, 95,720 acre-ft, November 21-23, elevation, 1,595.62 ft.
MONTHEND ELEVATION AND CONTENTS AT 2400, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 2015 TO SEPTEMBER 2016

Date        Elevation, in ft   Contents, in acre-ft   Change in contents
Sep. 30         1,596.85            107,450
Oct. 31         1,595.84             97,800               -9,650
Nov. 30         1,595.63             95,820               -1,980
Dec. 31         1,595.91             98,470               +2,650
CAL YR 2015      -------            -------               +2,660 
Jan. 31         1,595.91             98,470                    0
Feb. 29         1,596.06             99,890               +1,420
Mar. 31         1,596.63            105,330               +5,440
Apr. 30         1,596.22            101,410               -3,920
May 31          1,596.38            102,940               +1,530
June 30         1,596.14            100,650               -2,290
July 31         1,596.23            101,510                 +860
Aug. 31         1,595.88             98,180               -3,330
Sep. 30         1,595.90             98,370                 +190
WTR YR 2016      -------            -------               -9,080

EXTREMES FOR WATER YEAR 2017.--Maximum daily contents, 107,060 acre-ft, June 23, elevation,
1,596.81 ft, wind aided; maximum elevation, 1,597.06 ft, June 22, wind aided; minimum daily
contents, 75,650 acre-ft, March 25, elevation, 1,593.45 ft.
MONTHEND ELEVATION AND CONTENTS AT 2400, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 2016 TO SEPTEMBER 2017

Date        Elevation, in ft   Contents, in acre-ft   Change in contents
Sep. 30         1,595.90             98,370
Oct. 31         1,596.28            101,980               +3,510
Nov. 30         1,596.30            102,180                 +200
Dec. 31         1,596.24            101,600                 -580
CAL YR 2016      -------            -------               +3,130
Jan. 31         1,595.91             98,470               -3,130
Feb. 28         1,595.33             92,990               -5,480
Mar. 31         1,594.46             84,890               -8,100
Apr. 30         1,595.86             97,990              +13,100
May 31          1,596.19            101,130               +3,140
June 30         1,596.68            105,810               +4,680
July 31         1,596.32            102,370               -3,440 
Aug. 31         1,595.88             98,180               -4,190
Sep. 30         1,595.74             96,860               -1,320
WTR YR 2017      -------            -------               -1,510

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum daily contents, 148,450 acre-ft, June 1, 2011, elevation, 1600.99 ft; maximum elevation, 1601.30 ft, June 1, 2011 (wind aided); minimum observed since April 1943 when reservoir was first filled to spillway level, 31,200 acre-ft, February 18 and 25, 1963, elevation, 1587.04 ft.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - Water year 1993 to current year.

REMARKS - Available periods of continuous water quality daily records are internally rated qualitatively as excellent, good, fair, or poor. For questions about periods of record and/or quality ratings, please send an email to gs-w-nd_nwisweb_data_inquiries@usgs.gov.