STATION.--01481000 BRANDYWINE CREEK AT CHADDS FORD, PA
LOCATION.--Lat 39`52'11", long 75`35'37", Delaware County, Hydrologic Unit 02040205, on left bank 27 ft upstream from Penn Central Railroad bridge at Chadds Ford, 150 ft upstream from Harvey Run, and 1,200 ft downstream from highway bridge on U.S. Highway 1.
DRAINAGE AREA.--287 square miles.
PERIOD OF RECORD.--August 1911 to September 1953, October 1962 to current year. Prior to October 1911, monthly discharge only, published in WSP 1302.
GAGE.--Water-stage recorder, crest-stage gage, water-quality monitor, and Pluvio precipitation gage. Datum of gage is 149.7 ft above North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Prior to May 21, 1927, non-recording gage at same site and datum. Prior to January 3, 2023, the datum of gage was erroneously reported as 150.45 ft above National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929. Satellite telemetry at station.
COOPERATION.--Station established and maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. Funding for the operation of this station is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Chester County Water Resources Authority, the City of Wilmington, Delaware, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
REMARKS.-- Select water-quality data collection discontinued during winter months since the 1981 water year. Other interruptions in the record were due to malfunctions of the equipment.
GAGE HEIGHTS OF IMPORTANCE.-
Supplied by USGS: Maximum recordable gage height (stage sensor operational limit) - 21.3 ft; Data transmitter operational limit - 22.0 ft;
Supplied by NWS: Action stage-8 ft; Flood stage-9 ft; Moderate flood stage-11 ft, at 11.8 ft, Brandywine River Museum begins to take on water; at 12 ft, businesses upstream of gage begin to flood; Major flood stage-13 ft, residential evacuations begin.