USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 11186000

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

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

11186000 Kern River near Kernville, CA

LOCATION - Lat 35°56'43", long 118°28'36" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, Tulare County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18030001, unsurveyed, on left bank, at Packsaddle Canyon Creek, 500 ft downstream from diversion dam, and 13.4 mi north of Kernville.

DRAINAGE AREA - 846 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1445: 1912, 1916 (instantaneous maximum discharge). WSP 1930: 1914 (instantaneous maximum discharge), 1918 (instantaneous maximum discharge).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - January 1912 to current year. Records for water year 1912 incomplete; yearly estimates published in WSP 1315-A. March 1921 to October 1953, records for river and canal published separately; combined flow only, October 1953 to September 1960. CHEMICAL ANALYSES: Water years 1956-65. WATER TEMPERATURE: Water years 1961-65.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder on river; water-stage recorder and rectangular concrete-lined flume for canal diversion. Elevation of gage is 3,620 ft above NGVD of 1929, from topographic map. Prior to Apr. 1, 1913, at site 1.4 mi downstream at different datum. Apr. 1 to Sept. 14, 1913, nonrecording gage, and Sept. 15, 1913, to Sept. 30, 1967, water-stage recorder, at site 1.2 mi downstream at different datum. Oct. 1, 1967, to Aug. 1, 2002, at datum 10 ft lower.

COOPERATION - Records were provided by Southern California Edison Co., under general supervision of the U.S. Geological Survey, in connection with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project no. 2290.

REMARKS - Since 1921, Kern River No. 3 Canal (station 11185500) diverts up to 630 ft³/s, 100 ft upstream from station, from left bank of Kern River for power development; water is returned to river 15 mi downstream from station. For records of combined discharge of river and canal, see station 11186001. See schematic diagram of Kern River Basin available from the California Water Science Center.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - River only: Maximum discharge, 60,000 ft³/s, Dec. 6, 1966, gage height, 22.77 ft, site and datum then in use, from floodmarks, from rating curve extended above 6,000 ft³/s, on basis of computed flow over dam at gage height 17.55 ft (basic data for computation provided by Southern California Edison Co.) and slope-area measurement of peak flow, maximum gage height, 24.39 ft, Nov. 8, 2002; no flow for many days in 1924 and 1925. Combined river and diversion: Maximum discharge, 60,000 ft³/s, Dec. 6, 1966; minimum daily, 75 ft³/s, Dec. 9, 2014.