USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 12045500

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Water year 2024: 2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

12045500 ELWHA RIVER AT MCDONALD BRIDGE, NEAR PORT ANGELES, WA

LOCATION - Lat 48°03'18", long 123°34'55" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in NE 1/4 NW 1/4 sec.33, T.30 N., R.7 W., Clallam County, WA, Hydrologic Unit 17110020, Olympic National Forest, on right bank near the site of the McDonald Bridge (removed), 0.7 mi upstream from Little River, 1.1 mi upstream of highway 101 Bridge, 4.9 mi below the site of Glines Canyon Dam (removed), 8 mi southwest of Port Angeles, and at mile 8.6.

DRAINAGE AREA - 269 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1246: Drainage area. WSP 1286: 1898, 1899(M), 1900-1902, 1919, 1920-31(M), 1932, 1933(M). WSP 1566: 1957(M).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1897 to December 1901, October 1918 to current year. Published as "at McDonald" October 1897 to December 1901.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 200 ft above NGVD of 1929 (by topographic map) and is 204.39 ft above NAVD of 1988 (GNSS survey by USGS on July 27, 2020). Oct. 1, 1897, to Dec. 31, 1901, nonrecording gage at McDonald Bridge at different datum. Dec. 9, 1918, to May 1, 1936, water-stage recorder under McDonald Bridge at datum 7.4 ft higher.

REMARKS - Flow partly regulated by Lake Mills 4.9 mi upstream (station 12045000) from April 1927 to September 2011. Chemical analyses July 1959 to June 1960, July 1960 to September 1970 (partial-record station), October 1971 to September 1986. Water temperatures April 1976 to August 1977, October 1994 to April 1998, April 2004 to September 2006. Turbidity August 2003 to September 2006. Suspended sediment discharge April 1994 to September 1995. Miscellaneous sediment measurements October 1995 to September 1997. Prior to 1962, published as Elwha River near Port Angeles. October 1971 to September 1974 published as Elwha River below Little River, near Port Angeles. U.S. Geological Survey satellite telemeter at station.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 41,600 ft³/s, Nov. 18, 1897, gage height, 14.5 ft, from graph based on gage readings, site and datum then in use, from rating curve extended above 3,300 ft³/s, on basis of two determinations of flow over dam at discharge 26,700 ft³/s and 30,100 ft³/s, referred to 1897 datum; minimum daily discharge, 10 ft³/s, Oct. 3, 1938.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - WATER TEMPERATURE: October 1994 to April 1998, April 2004 to September 2006. TURBIDITY: August 2003 to September 2006. SUSPENDED SEDIMENT DISCHARGE: April 1994 to September 1995. Miscellaneous sediment measurements October 1995 to September 1997.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - WATER TEMPERATURE: Maximum 19.7°C, Aug. 24, 2005; minimum, 2.1°C, Dec. 18, 2005. TURBIDITY: Maximum, 1,030 FNU, Nov. 19, 2003; minimum, 0.0 FNU, on several days during July to September 2005 and August to September 2006. SUSPENDED SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION (April 1994 to September 1995): Maximum daily, 233 mg/L, Dec. 20 1994; minimum 1 mg/L, Oct. 3, 14, June 30, 1995. SUSPENDED SEDIMENT DISCHARGE (April 1994 to September 1995): Maximum daily, 7,960 tons, Dec. 20, 1994; minimum daily, 0.76 tons, Sept. 28 -30, Oct. 3, 14, June 30, 1995.