USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

06471000 JAMES RIVER AT COLUMBIA, SD

LOCATION - Lat 45°36'13", long 98°18'36" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SW 1/4 SW 1/4 sec.28, T.125 N., R.62 W., Brown County, SD, Hydrologic Unit 10160003, on left bank 20 ft downstream from highway bridge, 0.6 mi south of Columbia, 0.9 mi downstream from Chicago and North Western Railway Co. bridge, 0.3 mi upstream from Elm River, and 12.7 mi downstream from Columbia Road Dam.

DRAINAGE AREA - 5,691 mi² of which 726 mi² probably is noncontributing.

REVISIONS HISTORY - WDR SD-11-1: Drainage area.

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1945 to current year.

GAGE -

Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 1,273.17 feet above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) and 1,272.91 feet above the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29).

Previous Datums are as follows:

From Oct. 1, 1945 to Oct. 4, 1957, nonrecording gage. From Oct. 5, 1957 to Sept. 30, 1980, water-stage recorder. Both gages described above at site 3.3 mi upstream from present site and at different 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 fair except those for estimated discharges, which are poor. Flow regulated by dams forming Arrowwood and Jim Lakes, combined capacity, 16,530 acre-ft, and by dam forming Jamestown Reservoir, capacity, 229,470 acre-ft, since May 1953, and by dam forming Pipestem Reservoir, capacity, 147,000 acre-ft, which reached maximum pool elevation in May 1974. Maximum discharge prior to Sept. 30, 1974, 5,420 ft³/s, May 24, 25, 1950, gage height, 16.89 ft, from graph based on gage readings; maximum daily reverse flow, 1,860 ft³/s, Apr. 8, 1952, backwater from Elm River. Satellite data-collection platform at station.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Minimum daily discharge, -2,500 ft³/s, Mar. 26, 2009, backwater from Elm River.