Station list     Available data
ILLINOIS RIVER BASIN


05531500       SALT CREEK AT WESTERN SPRINGS, IL

 

LOCATION.-- Lat 41°49'33", long 87°54'02" (NAD of 1927), in NE1/4SE1/4 sec.31, T.39 N., R.12 E., Cook County, Hydrologic Unit 07120004, on left pier at upstream side of bridge on Wolf Road, in Cook County Forest Preserve, 0.5 mi north of Western Springs, and at mile 8.8.

 

DRAINAGE AREA.-- 115 mi2.

 

PERIOD OF RECORD.--

SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE

 

DISCHARGE: October 1945 to current year.

 

STAGE: Water years 1994 to current year.

SURFACE-WATER QUALITY

 

CHEMICAL: Water years 1978-91 and 1999 to current year.

 

MISCELLANEOUS: Contaminants in streambed sediments, August 1998; contaminants in fish tissue, August 1998.

BIOLOGICAL

 

BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES: Water year 1999, and 2002.

 

FISH: Water years 1999-2000, and 2002-03.

 

HABITAT: Water years 1999, and 2002-03.

 

REVISED RECORDS.-- WSP 1915: Drainage area. WRD IL-87-2: Drainage area. WRD IL-97-2: July 21 - Sept. 26, 1996.

 

GAGE.-- Water-stage recorder, phone telemeter, crest-stage gage, and water-quality monitor. Datum of gage is 624.93 ft above NGVD of 1929. Prior to July 26, 1946, nonrecording gage at same site and datum.

 

REMARKS.-- Occasional regulation by sewage treatment plants upstream from station. Since May 28, 1996, some flow temporarily diverted for flood control to Elmhurst Quarry Flood Control Reservoir 12.3 miles upstream from gage.

 

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD.--

SURFACE-WATER DISCHARGE AND STAGE: Maximum discharge, 3,540 ft3/s, Aug. 17, 1987, gage height, 10.54 ft; minimum, no flow, May 27, 1998, due to bridge construction.

 

REMARKS FOR CURRENT YEAR.--Fish community samples were collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program (NAWQA) in the Upper Illinois River Basin. Collection methods followed Meador and others (1993). Collections were made with a barge electroshocker and seine. Fishes were identified by C. A. Taylor, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign. Reach A, lat 41°49'41.60", long 87°54'28.40", is located 187 ft upstream of the walking bridge (0.63 mi upstream from gage) in the Bemis Woods west of Wolf Road and north of Ogden Avenue; it continues upstream for 984 ft. Reach B is 1663 ft upstream of walking bridge, and continues upstream for 948 ft. Reach C is located 328 ft downstream of the walking bridge and continues downstream for 984 ft.



FISH
Order
Family Number
Scientific name Common name
individuals

  Reach A
8/11/1999
 

Cypriniformes
Catostomidae
Catostomus commersoniwhite sucker5
Cyprinidae
Cyprinella spilopteraspotfin shiner27
Notemigonus crysoleucasgolden shiner2
Notropis dorsalisbigmouth shiner2
Notropis stramineussand shiner12
Pimephales notatusbluntnose minnow12
Pimephales promelasfathead minnow3
Semotilus atromaculatuscreek chub6
Perciformes
Centrarchidae
Lepomis cyanellusgreen sunfish16
Lepomis macrochirusbluegill32
Micropterus dolomieusmallmouth bass6
Micropterus salmoideslargemouth bass8
Pomoxis nigromaculatusblack crappie2
Siluriformes
Ictaluridae
Ameiurus natalisyellow bullhead13

  Reach B
8/11/1999
 

Cypriniformes
Catostomidae
Catostomus commersoniwhite sucker3
Cyprinidae
Cyprinella spilopteraspotfin shiner25
Cyprinus carpiocommon carp1
Pimephales notatusbluntnose minnow14
Pimephales promelasfathead minnow1
Semotilus atromaculatuscreek chub2
Perciformes
Centrarchidae
Lepomis cyanellusgreen sunfish11
Lepomis macrochirusbluegill13
Micropterus dolomieusmallmouth bass4
Micropterus salmoideslargemouth bass3
Pomoxis nigromaculatusblack crappie1
Siluriformes
Ictaluridae
Ameiurus natalisyellow bullhead11

  Reach C
8/11/1999
 

Atheriniformes
Cyprinodontidae
Fundulus notatusblackstripe topminnow1
Cypriniformes
Catostomidae
Catostomus commersoniwhite sucker4
Cyprinidae
Cyprinella spilopteraspotfin shiner24
Notropis stramineussand shiner12
Pimephales notatusbluntnose minnow21
Semotilus atromaculatuscreek chub3
Perciformes
Centrarchidae
Lepomis cyanellusgreen sunfish8
Lepomis macrochirusbluegill7
Lepomis macrochirus x Lepomis cyanellusbluegill x green sunfish1
Micropterus dolomieusmallmouth bass3
Micropterus salmoideslargemouth bass1
Siluriformes
Ictaluridae
Ameiurus natalisyellow bullhead31


Table of Contents

Introduction

Station Descriptions

Surface-Water Data

Ground-Water Data

Meteorological Data

Biological Data