USGS Water-Year Summary 2021
05537980 DES PLAINES RIVER AT ROUTE 53 AT JOLIET, IL
LOCATION - Lat 41°32'11", long 88°04'57" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, in NE 1/4 NE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec.9, T.35 N., R.10 E., Will County, IL, Hydrologic Unit 07120004, on left downstream side of Route 53 (Ruby St.) bridge, 0.2 mi downstream from Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and at mile 15.7.
DRAINAGE AREA - 1,502 mi². does not include diversion from Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD -
SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE
DISCHARGE: February 2005 to current year.
STAGE: February 2005 to current year.
SURFACE-WATER QUALITY
CHEMICAL: Water years 1982-87.
GAGE - Water-stage recorder, acoustic-velocity meter, and satellite telemeter. Datum of gage is 0.00 ft above NGVD of 1929 (-0.29 ft NAVD 1988) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bench mark.
EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE: Maximum measured discharge, 28,000 ft³/s, July 18, 1996, gage height unknown; maximum observed gage height, 539.96 ft, Jan. 13, 2005.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE: Maximum discharge, 33,100 ft³/s, Sept. 14, 2008, gage height, 541.22 ft; maximum gage height, 541.78 ft., May 18, 2020; discharge 32,700 ft³/s, periods of no flow or reverse flow at times in most years.