USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 12363000

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

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

12363000 FLATHEAD RIVER AT COLUMBIA FALLS, MT

LOCATION - Lat 48°21'42.52", long 114°11'05.82" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, in NW 1/4 NW 1/4 SE 1/4 sec.17, T.30 N., R.20 W., Flathead County, MT, Hydrologic Unit 17010208, on right bank 200 ft downstream from county road bridge at Columbia Falls, 5.7 mi downstream from South Fork Flathead River, and at river mile 143.0.

DRAINAGE AREA - 4,473 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1092: 1923. WSP 1216: Drainage area. WSP 1636: 1958, adjusted runoff. Stream level, NAVD1988 records for the period April 30, 2013 to October 20, 2016, were revised on May 31, 2017; it was discovered that data published as NAVD1988 prior to May 31, 2017 were in NGVD1929.

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - May 1922 to September 1923 (fragmentary), June 1928 to current year. Monthly discharge only for some periods, published in Water Supply Paper (WSP) 1316.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Elevation of gage is 2,977.67 ft, referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (levels by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Prior to Nov. 12, 1928, nonrecording gage on bridge 200 ft upstream at elevation 0.19 ft higher. Bureau of Reclamation data collection platform with satellite telemetry at the station.

REMARKS - Flow at station is affected by regulation upstream.

EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - Flood in June 1894 reached a stage of 22.7 ft, from floodmarks, discharge, 142,000 ft³/s, from rating curve extended above 95,000 ft³/s on basis of slope-area measurement of peak flow in 1964.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum peak flow on basis of slope-area measurement of peak flow.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD -

Water years 1949-50, 1963-67, 1970, 1979 to September 1994, March 2002 to current year. 
Water years 1968-69 published as Flathead River near Kalispell (station 12363500) 15 mi downstream. 
No appreciable inflow or outflow occurs between the two points.

PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD -

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: October 1964 to September 1967, March 1979 to September 1981.

WATER TEMPERATURE: January 1949 to September 1950, August 1963 to September 1969, March 1979 to 
current year.

SUSPENDED-SEDIMENT DISCHARGE: July 1965 to September 1969.

INSTRUMENTATION - Water temperature recorder was installed Mar. 27, 1979. Last water temperature probe was installed Apr. 4, 1995.

REMARKS -

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF DAILY RECORD -

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE: Maximum daily, 290 microsiemens per centimeter (uS/cm) at 25.0°C, Apr. 6, 1980; 
minimum daily, 121 uS/cm at 25.0°C, May 28, 1979.

WATER TEMPERATURE: Maximum daily, 21.0°C, Aug. 23, 1963, Aug. 8, 1968; minimum daily, -0.2°C, Feb. 2, 2017.

SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION: Maximum daily, 980 mg/L, May 21, 1967; minimum daily, 1 mg/L on several days 
most years.

SEDIMENT LOAD: Maximum daily, 140,000 tons, May 23, 1967; minimum daily, 4 tons, Mar. 4-6, 1967.