SUSQUEHANNA RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN General Features Susquehanna river rises in Otsego lake, in northern Otsego county, at an elevation of 1,193 feet above tide, and flows in a general southerly direction into Chesapeake bay. Its course is in many places extremely tortuous, crossing the State boundary between New York and Pennsylvania three times. The entire length of the river is about 500 miles, and it drains an area of 27,400 square miles, of which 21,060 square miles lie in Pennsylvania, 6,080 in New York, and 260 in Maryland. Three important streams contribute to the flow in New York State Unadilla, Chenango and Chemung rivers. These streams all enter from the north. Unadilla, the smaller, joins the main stream near Sidney, Chenango at Binghamton, and Chemung at a point in Pennsylvania about 8 miles below the State line. The topography of the basin varies widely in character. In New York the stream and its tributaries flow through a rolling and, in places, rather broken country, bounded on the north by a mountainous area. In this part of its course its bed is of gravel or sand, with rock ledges here and there, and its banks are moderately high and not extensively subject to overflow. In Pennsylvania the river enters a mountain region, its banks are high, and it winds and twists among the parallel ranges in a bed composed generally of drift materials, gravels, sand and boulders. In the lower part of its course, from Marietta to Havre de Grace, it occupies a broad, deep valley, ranging in width from a few hundred feet to more than a mile, and is for the most part bounded on either shore by rocky bluffs and table-lands elevated from 100 to 500 feet above its waters. STATION RECORDS SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AT CONKLIN, N. Y. Location. At the highway bridge just below Conklin, N. Y., 8 miles above the mouth of the Chenango river at Binghamton, N. Y., and 5 miles below the mouth of Big Snake creek. Records available.— November 13, 1912, to September 30, 1914. Gage. Staff gage, with a vertical section bolted to the left abutment of the bridge, and below this, an inclined section flush with the bed of the stream. During September, 1914, an automatic recording gage was installed. It is located in a 5 by 6 foot wooden house over a 2 by 6 foot float well. The well is connected with the river by a 4-inch pipe. Control.Coarse gravel and boulders. Discharge measurements. Made from the bridge at high and medium stages and by wading at low stages. Winter flow. Discharge relation affected by ice during extreme cold weather. Frequent discharge measurements are necessary to determine the flow during this period. Accuracy. Discharge rating curve well defined. Conditions for meter measurements are good. Co-operation. Station established and maintained by United States Geological Survey in co-operation with the State Engineer and Surveyor. Discharge measurements of Susquehanna River at Conklin, N. Y., during the year ending a Measurement made under partial ice cover. b Measurement made under complete ice cover. c Measurement made under complete ice cover about 800 feet below gage. d Measurement made under complete ice cover 300 feet below gage. e Measurement made by wading 1,000 feet above gage. Daily gage height, in feet, of Susquehanna River at Conklin, N. Y., for the year ending 21 22 23 24 3.5 4.7 25. 3.15 4.6 26. 27 28. 4.4 29 30. 31. 3.8 7.1 4.2 5.4 3.7 3.6 5.3 6.3 13.1 4.8 NOTE. Discharge relation affected by ice January 13 to March 26, inclusive. Daily discharge, in second-feet, of Susquehanna River at Conklin, N. Y., for the year ending 202 685 2,100 1,260 4,430 970 705 1,810 670 1,570 705 1,460 600 1,200 600 1,150 NOTE.- Daily discharge values given during the frozen period January 13 to March 26, are only approximate. Daily di charge determined from a rating curve that is very well defined. New rating curve used beginning April 1, 1914. Monthly discharge of Susquehanna River at Conklin, N. Y., for the year ending September 30, 1914 [Drainage area, 2,350 square miles] NOTE. Mean discharge estimated as follows: January 13 to 19, 1,180 second-feet; February 26 to March 7, 1,210 second-feet. CHENANGO RIVER NEAR CHENANGO FORKS, N. Y. Location. Two miles by road below Chenango Forks post office, 1.5 miles below the mouth of Tioughnioga river and 11.5 miles above the mouth of river at Binghamton, N. Y. Records available.- November 11, 1912, to September 30, 1914. Drainage area.— - 1,420 square miles. Gage.- Inclined staff gage on the left bank. During September, 1914, an automatic recording gage was installed. The gage is set over a 21⁄2 by 6 foot float well and is protected by a 5 by 6 foot wooden house. The float well is connected with the river by a 4-inch pipe. Control. Small cobble filled in with sand and gravel; not likely to shift; current uniform across the entire section. Discharge measurements.— Low-water measurements made by wading near the gage; high-water measurements made from cable and car. Winter flow.- Discharge relation affected by ice. Good estimates of flow can be made from frequent discharge measurements made during this period. Diversions. In estimating the run-off, the area directly tributary to storage reservoirs, from which diversion is made to the Erie canal, has been deducted from the total natural drainage area. At the head of Chenango river there are six reservoirs aggregating 30 square miles and at the head of the Tioughnioga one- - De Ruyter — of 18.2 square miles. These areas have been subtracted from the total area of 1,468 square miles. This gives a net drainage area of 1,420 square miles. Accuracy. Discharge rating curve well defined. Conditions for making meter measurements good. Small diurnal fluctuation in gage height at extreme low water. Co-operation.- Established and maintained by the United States Geological Survey in co-operation with the State Engineer and Surveyor. Discharge measurements of Chenango River near Chenango Forks, N. Y., during the year ending September 30, 1914 a Backwater from ice. Measurement made through ice 500 feet above gage. Daily gage height, in feet, of Chenango River near Chenango Forks, N. Y., for the year ending September 30, 1914 NOTE.- Discharge relation affected by ice January 6 to March 26, inclusive. Daily discharge, in second-feet, of Chenango River near Chenango Forks, N. Y., for the year ending September 30, 1914 |