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USGS Water-Year Summary 2024
11446500 American River at Fair Oaks, CA
LOCATION - Lat 38°38'08", long 121°13'36" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec.17, T.9 N., R.7 E., Sacramento County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18020111, on right bank, 2,100 ft downstream from Nimbus Dam, 2.4 mi east of Fair Oaks, 8.1 mi downstream from South Fork, and at river mile 22.2.
DRAINAGE AREA - 1,888 mi².
REVISIONS HISTORY - WSP 1181: 1928 (instantaneous maximum discharge). WSP 1515: 1907 (instantaneous maximum discharge), 1910, 1931 (instantaneous maximum discharge), 1943 (instantaneous maximum discharge). WSP 1931: Drainage area.
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - November 1904 to current year. Monthly discharge only for some periods, published in WSP 1315-A.
GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 71.53 ft above NGVD of 1929 and 73.74 ft above NAVD88. See WSP 2131 for history of changes prior to July 15, 1970.
REMARKS - Flow regulated by Folsom Lake (station 11446200) beginning Feb. 25, 1955. Some minor regulation of high flows by temporary pondage during period of construction January 1953 to February 1955. Diurnal fluctuations from Folsom Powerplant re-regulated by Nimbus Reservoir, capacity, 2,800 acre-ft, between normal operating elevations 118.5 and 125.0 ft, and by Nimbus Powerplant. Many diversions upstream from station. Diversion to Folsom South Canal from Nimbus Reservoir started in June 1973. Some inflow from Bear and Yuba River Basins. See schematic diagram of lower Sacramento River Basin available from the California Water Science Center.
EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - Flood on Jan. 10, 1862, reached a stage of 38 ft, datum unknown, from floodmark, verified by comparison with flood crest for 1862 and 1907, at other points, from USGS WSP 843; discharge, 318,000 ft³/s, estimated, from rating curve extended above 163,000 ft³/s.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 180,000 ft³/s, Nov. 21, 1950, gage height, 31.85 ft, site and datum then in use; minimum, 3.6 ft³/s, Aug. 16, 1924.
Maximum discharge since regulation by Folsom Lake in 1955, 134,000 ft³/s, Feb. 19, 1986, gage height, 27.96 ft; minimum daily, 215 ft³/s, Apr. 20, 1977.
WATER-QUALITY RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD -
DISCRETE WATER-QUALITY DATA:
CHEMICAL DATA: Water years 1906-07, 1951-58, 1960-63.
CONTINUOUS WATER-QUALITY DATA:
WATER TEMPERATURE: Water years March 1951 to September 1958, November 1959 to January 1979, October 1998 to current year (water years 1951-1958, 1960-1979, 1999-2023, daily).
INSTRUMENTATION - Water-temperature recorder March 1951 to September 1958, November 1959 to January 1979, and since October 1998. Water-temperature probe was relocated 300 ft upstream on May 10, 2001, to obtain more representative stream temperatures. Water temperature gage was moved to the left bank on May 31,2017. Previous location was extremely hazardous to access and work at. Water temperature gage on the left bank was removed on Apr. 07, 2020 per co-operator's request, and a new temperature sensor was added to the stilling well gage located on the right bank.
REMARKS - Water temperature is affected by upstream releases from Nimbus Dam.
