USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 11152300

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	00060 Discharge(Mean)

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Water year 2023: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

11152300 Salinas River near Chualar, CA

LOCATION - Lat 36°33'13", long 121°32'54" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, Monterey County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18060005, in Guadalupe y Llanitos de Los Correos Grant, near left bank, on upstream side of bridge on Chualar River Road, and 2 mi southwest of Chualar.

DRAINAGE AREA - 4,042 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WDR CA-85-2: 1983-84 (instantaneous maximum discharge).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1976 to current year.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder and crest-stage gage. Datum of gage is 70.54 ft above NAVD of 1988. Prior to January 1979, nonrecording gage at same site and datum. January 1979 to Aug. 19, 1991, at site 0.2 mi downstream at same datum.

REMARKS - Daily discharges prior to January 1979 determined by discharge measurements at this site correlated to streamflow for "Salinas River at Soledad" (station 11151700) and "Salinas River near Spreckels" (station 11152500). Flow regulated by Santa Margarita Lake beginning in December 1941, usable capacity, 23,000 acre-ft; Lake Nacimiento (formerly Nacimiento Reservoir) beginning in February 1957, usable capacity, 340,000 acre-ft; and Lake San Antonio beginning in December 1965, usable capacity, 330,000 acre-ft. Large withdrawals from ground water and small surface-water diversions for municipal use and for irrigation upstream from station. See schematic diagram of Salinas River Basin available from the California Water Science Center.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 92,000 ft³/s, estimated, Mar. 11, 1995, gage height, 19.70 ft, from rating curve extended above 18,000 ft³/s; peak flow includes an estimate of 8,800 ft³/s bypassing the gage; no flow at times during most years.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - Water years 1967 to 2014 (discontinued). CHEMICAL DATA: Water years 1977 to 2014 (discontinued). WATER TEMPERATURE: Water years 1967-69, 1977-81. BIOLOGICAL DATA: Water years 1977-81. SEDIMENT DATA: Water years 1967-69, 1977-95, 1997 to 2014 (discontinued).

PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD - SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: January 1977 to September 1981. WATER TEMPERATURE: January 1977 to September 1981. SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT DISCHARGE: December 1966 to September 1969.

INSTRUMENTATION - Water-quality monitor from January 1977 to September 1981.