USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

05054000 RED RIVER OF THE NORTH AT FARGO, ND

LOCATION - Lat 46°51'40", long 96°47'00" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in sec.18, T.139 N., R.48 W., Cass County, ND, Hydrologic Unit 09020104, 0.7 mi upstream of Midtown Dam, 25 mi upstream from mouth of Sheyenne River, and at mile 453.

DRAINAGE AREA - 6,800 mi². approximately.

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1308: 1902-4, 1906-7, 1910-14, 1916, 1918, 1924. WSP 1388: 1905-6, 1917-20(M), 1935(M), 1938-39(M), 1943.

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - DAILY DISCHARGE--June 1901 to current year. Published as "at Moorhead, MN.", 1901. Monthly discharge only for some periods, published in WSP 1308.

DAILY GAGE-HEIGHT--October 2000 to current year.

GAGE -

Water-stage recorder and concrete control. Datum of gage is 862.70 ft above North American Vertical Datum (NAVD88) and 861.8 ft above National Geodetic Vertical Datum 1929 (NGVD29).  

Previous locations and datums are as follows:

May 27, 1901-September 1st, 1914; staff gage located at Front Street Bridge (currently [2022] known as Main Street Bridge or the Veterans Memorial Bridge) between Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN at a datum 3.5 ft lower. Published as “Red River at Moorhead, Minn.” in 1901.

September 1st, 1914-August 1st, 1928; staff gages located above Fargo Waterworks dam (about 1000 feet west of current [2022] dam location) at a datum 9.3 ft higher.

August 1st, 1928-December 17, 1958; staff gages located above Fargo Waterworks dam (1928-1930) and later above Island Park Dam (after 1930 construction, about 1000 ft west of current [2022] dam location) at a datum 5.6 ft higher.

December 17, 1958-June 22, 1960; wire-weight gage on downstream side of bridge with continuous water-stage recorder and staff in hollow pier well on downstream side of the Interstate 94 highway bridge about 2 miles upstream from present-day [2022] gage at a datum 5.6 ft higher.

June 22, 1960-November 28, 1962; continuous water-stage recorder with staff gages at city water plant on 4th St in Fargo, ND at datum 5.6 ft higher.

November 28, 1962-current; continuous water-stage recorder with staff gages at city water plant on 4th St in Fargo, ND at current datum.

REMARKS -

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 the 2021 water year, which was fair.  Estimated discharges are poor, unless otherwise noted. 

REGULATION.--Flow regulated by: Orwell Reservoir, flood storage capacity, 13,300 acre-ft at elevation 1,070 ft above mean sea level, adjustment of 1912; Mud Lake, flood storage capacity, 78,600 acre-ft at elevation 981 ft above mean sea level, adjustment of 1912; Lake Traverse, flood storage capacity, 75,100 acre-ft at elevation 981 ft above mean sea level, adjustment of 1912; and numerous other controlled lakes, ponds and several power plants.

DIVERSIONS.--Figures of daily discharge do not include diversions to cities of Fargo and Moorhead, MN, from the Sheyenne River.

RED RIVER DIVERSIONS, IN ACRE-FEET, TO CITIES OF FARGO AND MOORHEAD:

YEAR	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
2013										1,300	1,230	1,250
2014	1,440	1,290	1,300	1,050	420	460	590	1,470	1,360	1,320	1,190	1,290
2015	1,330	1,180	1,220	1,160	1,150	480	760	1,600	1,530	1,280	1,230	1,230
2016	1,220	1,170	1,180	1,130	1,420	2,010	1,980	1,990	1,640	1,550	1,450	930
2017	1,550	1,340	1,070	1,200	670	800	1,500	1,950	1,690	670	970	1,180
2018	1,370	1,310	1,250	1,220	1,740	2,010	2,270	2,200	1,840	1000	730	900
2019	980	1030	1120	950	1160	1130	870	740	770	1680	1000	1490
2020	950	840	830	960	1060	2030	2380	2190	1730	1660	1600	1670
2021	1660	1520	1690	1620	1480	1670	2250	2250	2000	1840	1600	360
2022	500	470	520	1340	1240	1550	1900	2450	2250	1900	1600	1790
2023	1550	1710	1810	1730	2170	2790	2830	2700	2480

TOTAL MONTHLY ACRE-FEET FOR RED RIVER, WITH DIVERSIONS, TO CITIES OF FARGO AND MOORHEAD:

YEAR	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
2013										97,570	52,260	35,440
2014	35,900	30,650	67,690	132,050	279,620	312,160	217,490	100,210	111,160	61,130	37,820	36,590
2015	32,900	28,150	55,270	39,440	113,150	160,680	87,520	37,740	24,090	17,860	19,840	24,530
2016	26,770	29,450	44,320	50,150	55,640	35,630	60,470	64,370	53,540	59,870	53,760	66,820
2017	54,530	113,810	111,950	106,280	97,450	89,760	55,670	52,940	48,410	111,990	51,130	32,960
2018	31,090	25,910	58,700	143,800	88,590	92,430	82,920	52,200	28,580	34,900	27,970	33,770
2019	32,820	27,790	58,090	768,790	332,720	207,290	205,620	87,640	136,500	303,850	203,680	100,880
2020	77,880	78,640	169,560	397,940	164,630	110,250	132,630	129,890	68,860	45770	43690	38590
2021	41800	30780	75460	112840	74130	36620	14680	9560	13830	12790	36760	25310
2022	22690	24190	154100	271490	464320	295040	127740	47670	27820	18210	15640	17340
2023	24510	23920	55480	302430	291000	117780	34890	32180	22580

SUMMARY STATISTICS:
ANNUAL MEAN DISCHARGE ADJUSTED FOR RED RIVER DIVERSIONS TO FARGO AND MOORHEAD:

CALENDAR YEAR 2013: 1,799 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2014: 1,964 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2015: 906 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2016: 1,048 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2017: 1,280 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2018: 967 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2019: 3,392 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2020: 2,013 ft³/s

CALENDAR YEAR 2021: 669 ft³/s

CALANDAR YEAR 2022: 2081 ft³/s

 

WATER YEAR 2014: 2,032 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2015: 986 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2016: 686 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2017: 1,258 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2018: 1,105 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2019: 2,697 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2020: 2,676 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2021: 742 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2022: 2,084 ft³/s

WATER YEAR 2023: 1,320 ft³/s

 

ANNUAL RUNOFF (AC-FT) ADJUSTED FOR RED RIVER DIVERSIONS TO FARGO AND MOORHEAD:

CALENDAR YEAR 2013: 1,303,000 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2014: 1,422,000 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2015: 641,200 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2016: 759,400 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2017: 926,900 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2018: 700,900 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2019: 2,457,000 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2020: 1,458,000 AC-FT

CALENDAR YEAR 2021: 484,600 AC-FT

CALANDAR YEAR 2022: 1,507,000 AC-FT

 

WATER YEAR 2014: 1,472,000 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2015: 714,000 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2016: 482,600 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2017: 911,200 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2018: 800,300 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2019: 1,953,900 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2020: 1,939,000 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2021: 537,700 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2022: 1,510,000 AC-FT

WATER YEAR 2023: 956,000 AC-FT

 

EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - Flood of April 7, 1897, reached a stage of 39.1 ft present datum, discharge, 25,000 ft³/s at site 1.5 mi downstream.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - Water year 1956 to current year.

PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD -
WATER TEMPERATURE: September 1998 to current year.
SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: September 1998 to current year.
PH: October 2003 to current year.
DISSOLVED OXYGEN: October 2003 to current year.
TURBIDITY: October 2003 to current year.

REMARKS - Available periods of continuous water quality daily records are internally rated qualitatively as excellent, good, fair, or poor. For questions about periods of record and/or quality ratings, please send an email to gs-w-nd_nwisweb_data_inquiries@usgs.gov.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD -
WATER TEMPERATURE: Maximum recorded, 30.9°C, July 23, 2006; minimum recorded, -0.4°C on many days during winter months.
SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: Maximum recorded, 1,580 microsiemens, December 12, 2016; minimum recorded, 245 microsiemens, September 7, 2004.
PH: Maximum recorded, 9.0 units, November 16-27, 2013; minimum recorded, 5.8 units, January 9, 2005.
DISSOLVED OXYGEN: Maximum recorded, 20.6 milligrams per liter, November 28, 29, 2003; minimum recorded, 2.9 milligrams per liter, March 26, 2009.
TURBIDITY: Maximum operating range of sensor, 1,100 FNU, may have been exceeded on May 31, 2004, and June 1-2, 2004; minimum recorded, 0.0 FNU, many days in February 2008.