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QUADRANGLE: Marseilles, 7.5' series

LOCATION: Lat 41 19'37", long 88 43'03", in SEl/4SWl/4, sec. 13, T.33N, ME., La Salle County, Hydrologic Unit 07120005, on right bank 0.5 mi downstream from Marseilles dam in Marseilles 6.9 mi upstream from Fox River, and at mile 246.5.

To reach gage.--Drive 0.2 mi south from U.S. Route 6 on Main Street in Marseilles, then west on Commercial Street (just north of power plant tail race) 0.3 mi and enter power plant driveway on the south side of the street. Take the roadway to the right (at first locked gateway) and drive 500 ft. to gage.

ESTABLISHMENT AND HISTORY: A canfield chain gage was installed at Morris 16.6 mi upstream, and a non-recording station established on Oct. 1, 1919. Graphic water-stage recorder installed in Jan. 1935, 300 ft. downstream from present site. Graphic water-stage recorder was installed in Sept. 1939 at present site. Digital water-stage recorder was installed on Dec. 4, 1962. An oil tube was installed on Dec. 13, 1977. An electric-tape gage was installed at the gage in May 1975. An electric-tape gage was installed on Apr. 12, 1984, at the right downstream side of the dam in order to establish a tailwater rating for the dam.

Water-quality data collection began on Nov. 13, 1974, under the NASQAN program. Water-quality records are published for water years 1975 to current.

The Illinois Power Co. placed their plant in operation during 1910, and has operated gages on the river since 1911. A continuous recorder, located 100 ft. downstream from the present USGS gage, was operated by the power company from 1954 to 1965. They occ asionally read a staff gage about 30 ft. downstream from the power plant.

The Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, installed a Data Collection Platform (DCP) at this site in the late fall of 1984. An oil tube for the DCP was installed on Sept. 15, 1984.

A 1/8" boat cable stretched across the river was anchored to a concrete structure on the south side of the river and was attached to a reinforced ."boat" winch in the gage shelter. (A new cable was installed in June 1982.) A boat used to make discharge measurements and to collect water samples was kept at the gage. During an ice storm in late January, 1994 the steel cable broke and was not replaced. At the end of the year, the steel cable, winch and boat were removed. Since June 23, 1993, discharge measurements are being made with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) f rom a boat 2.6 miles downstream of gage and below the Marseilles lock.

DRAINAGE AREA: 8,259 sq. mi. (revised 1975).--Area does not include diversion from Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which has occurred since Jan. 17, 1900.

GAGE: Digital water-stage recorder and a DCP operated by separate floats in oil tubes are housed in a concrete shelter on the right bank. The base gage is an electric-tape gage. The outside-water surface elevation is determined by taping up from the end of the upper intake (RP4). A vertical enameled Highwater staff gage is mounted on the upstream face of the gagehouse and range from 6.7 ft. to 20.3 ft.

GAGE DATUM: Datum of gage is 462.91 ft., NGVD of 1929.

CHANNEL AND CONTROL: The streambed is composed of boulders and bedrock. The channel is straight, with the right bank (gage side) being a near vertical rock cliff. The left bank starts to overflow its normal banks at a stage of 7.0 ft., and then flows int o a gradual sloping flood plain, which is several hundred feet wide. There are trees and brush along both banks. Flow is confined to one channel at all stages. Normal low flow width is about 610 ft.

The low- and medium-water control is a very stable rock riffle and outcrop about 80 ft. downstream from the gage. The channel is the control at high stages.

DISCHARGE MEASUREMENTS: Measured from a boat 2.6 miles downstream of gage and below the Marseilles lock with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Measurements made at this location should be done during few lockages and must be adjusted for time-o f-travel from gage.

Stages above 5.2 ft. can be measured with the ADCP about 1.2 mi. downstream from the gage at the transmission lines in the rapids of the main channel. Care must be taken, however, due to high velocities and boulders. Measurements made at this location are not affected by lockages but my need to be adjusted for time-of-travel.

FLOODS: Flood on Jan. 21, 1916, which reached a stage of 25.4 ft. was caused by an ice jam. The flood of Dec. 3, 1982, reached a stage of 16.78 ft. with a discharge of 94,100 ft3/s.

POINT OF ZERO FLOW: Not determined.

WINTER FLOW: There can be backwater from ice during extremely cold periods.

REGULATION AND DIVERSION: Flow regulated by power plant and navigation dam above the gage. Flow includes diversion from Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Small amounts of water that passes through the Marseilles lock is diverted around the gage and must be added to determine the total daily flow from the watershed. This is done by taking the number of lockages during a day times 20-30 cubic feet per 20-30 cubic feet per second and adding to the daily discharge at the gage.