USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

06354000 CANNONBALL RIVER AT BREIEN, ND

LOCATION - Lat 46°22'34", long 100°56'04" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, in sec.36, T.134 N., R.82 W., Morton County, ND, Hydrologic Unit 10130206, on left bank at downstream side of bridge on State Highway 6, 1,100 ft downstream from Dogtooth Creek, and 0.6 mi southeast of Breien.

DRAINAGE AREA - 4,100 mi². approximately.

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 786: 1934. WSP 1146: 1943. WSP 1279: 1936-37(M), 1947(M). WSP 1509: 1955(M).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - DAILY DISCHARGE--August 1934 to current year.

PERIOD OF RECORD.--DAILY GAGE HEIGHT--October 2000 to current year.

GAGE -

Water-stage recorder. 

A station was maintained near Timmer, ND (Sta ID: 06353500) prior to Nov. 30, 1934, and was operated until the establishment of the Cannonball River at Breien, ND station; discharge at these two stations were found to be comparable. Prior to the Timmer, ND. site, a gage was established in 1903 about 1 mile upstream near Stevenson, ND. Data for Timmer and Stevenson gage locations are under station number 06353500 with daily discharge and peak flow data available from 1903-08, 1911-18, 1921-22, 1923-24, and 1928-34.

The peak flows published from 1906-1934 for the Cannonball River near Timmer, ND were used to transfer the corresponding peak flow to Cannonball River at Breien based on a drainage area conversion done in the 1950s. Equation is Q=(DA1/DA2)^C, where Q is calculated Cannonball River at Breien's discharge, DA1 is Breien drainage area, DA2 is Timmer drainage area, and the coefficient (C) used was 0.50. The Timmer peaks from 1903-1905 were not included in the transfer due to the inability of accurately determining the momentary peaks from these years. 

Peaks from 1906, 1908, 1913, and 1934 are based on unpublished momentary peaks from Timmer. The peaks from these years were not revised due to the uncertainty of the momentary peaks.

Datum of the gage is 1,675.02 feet above North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) and 1,673.54 feet above National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29). 
 
For a detailed gage datum history, please use the blue ‘questions or comments’ tab on the bottom of the site’s monitoring location page.

REMARKS - REGULATION.--Some storage in several small lakes above station.
Accuracy of records for water years prior to 2014 are noted in the individual Annual Data Reports for those water years. For water years 2014 onward, records good except for estimated discharges, which are poor, unless otherwise noted

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum peak flow, 94,800 ft³/s, April 19, 1950, from rating curve extended above 16,000 ft³/s on basis of indirect measurement of discharge. Maximum peak stage, 22.30 ft, April 19, 1950, from flood mark, site and datum then in use.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - Water years 1946-50, 1971 to 2013.

PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD - SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION AND DISCHARGE: May 1948 to July 1951, July 1959 to September 1976. Daily suspended-sediment discharge for May 1948 to September 1971 furnished by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD - SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION: Maximum daily mean, 7,200 mg/L, September 4, 1973; minimum daily mean, 10 mg/L, February 1 - 13, 1972, January 13 - 15, 1974. SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT DISCHARGE: Maximum daily, 903,000 tons/day, April 19, 1950; minimum daily, 0.0 tons/day, many days in most years.