USGS Water-Year Summary 2024
05482000 Des Moines River at 2nd Avenue at Des Moines, IA
LOCATION - Lat 41°36'43", long 93°37'11" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, in SE 1/4 NE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec.34, T.79 N., R.24 W., Polk County, IA, Hydrologic Unit 07100004, on right bank 5 ft upstream from bridge on State Highway 60 (2nd Avenue) in Des Moines, 1.8 mi upstream from Center Street dam, 2.8 mi upstream from Raccoon River, 4.5 mi downstream from Beaver Creek, and 195.9 mi upstream from mouth.
DRAINAGE AREA - 6,245 mi².
REVISIONS HISTORY -
WSP 1308: 1915-1919, 1921, 1923, 1933, 1943(M). WSP 1438: Drainage area. WDR US-2012: Datum.
Revisions: Gage datum was updated to 773.26 ft NAVD88 on July 12, 2022, as determined by a GNSS
Level II survey. Gage datum was previously published as 773.74 ft NGVD29 from
levels.
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - Gage heights and discharge measurements, October 1902 to August 1903, October 1914 to February 1915; discharge records from March 1915 to September 1961, October 1996 to current year.
GAGE -
Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 773.26 ft above North American Vertical Datum of 1988, and 0.10 ft below City of Des Moines datum (revised). October 2, 1902, to August 3, 1903, non-recording gage at site 2.1 mi downstream at Walnut Street bridge at datum 0.10 ft higher; May 24, 1905, to July 20, 1906, non-recording gage at site 1.9 mi upstream at Interurban Trail bridge at datum 0.10 ft higher; January 1912 to September 30, 1927, water-stage recorder at site 2.1 mi downstream at Walnut Street bridge at datum 0.10 ft higher; October 1, 1932, to September 30, 1938, water-stage recorder at site 2.1 mi downstream at Walnut Street bridge at same datum; October 1, 1938, to August 29, 1939, non-recording gage at site 1.8 mi downstream at Center Street dam at same datum (used as auxiliary gage from February 13, 1934, to September 30, 1938); August 30, 1939, to August 20, 1941, water-stage recorder at site 1.8 mi downstream at Center Street dam at same datum.
WATER-QUALITY RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - Water years 1955-1961, 2008, 2012.
PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD -
NITRATE + NITRITE: September 2013 to current year, records fragmentary.
WATER TEMPERATURE: Daily instantaneous values collected in conjunction with suspended-sediment samples, November 1954 to September 1961. Daily mean, September 2013 to current year.
SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION AND DISCHARGE: November 1954 to September 1961.