NorCal River Water Flow Rate

[63bkpkr]

NorCal River Water Flow Rate - Addendum # 2

We've 37 days till summer and at the moment in general the Sierra rivers are running at 25% of normal for this time of year. How low will they be on June 21st? Could be an interesting summer and I sure hope I get a chance to play out there as well. Good Luck Everyone!.......................63bkpkr

During high flood stage the rivers are milk chocolate brown Untamed Beasts! The brown color comes from the tons of dirt the rivers are carrying!!

Ok, next best thing I have to movies are these three charts and they only barely give you an idea of what has happened in the past and what is happening right now.

This screen shot shows an about March 15, 2012(last year) with a high of 20,000 cfs.


This is a flow chart for late 2012 to early 2013 with a maximum 'showing on the chart of 30,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). This chart and the next chart overlap but are on different scales.

I took this screen shot at 8:45 PM 15 May 2013. It has a high showing of 2000 cfs and right now it is 411 cfs. Also read the historical block at the bottom of the picture as it shows the very lowest recorded data as well as the very highest recorded data. Right now the river should be about 1500 cfs.

So, IF we do not have further storms in the next 36 days or if any that might come through are low water volume storms then as has been indicated a large portion of the summer time stream bed will be exposed. This is actually the reason I posted this thread, Kind of an FYI and for folks to think about.

BUT,that 30,000 cfs storm late last year really moved some hillsides, at least that's my bet from hiking the area since February 1963 when the river was wall to wall, roaring, milk chocolate brown, the boulders were bouncing on the bottom of the river and giant trees were really moving downstream. It was awesome and 'the reason' I fell in love with the place!..................63bkpk

Addendum # 2



Okay, I've just found the graphing capability has been updated and I'm just a bit excited about it, I'm a cheap date!

Far left chart is 2009-2011, middle chart is 2011-2013 and far right chart is 2012-2013 for a little more detail.

For the past several years the spring highs have been somewhat low but the water levels have been strung out till later in the year. But at the end of 2012 we had an anomaly of 30,000 cfs and now it is looking like our high flow rates are done for this year. With the snow already gone from the Sierras and should no major storms come in the rivers of NorCal will be accessible in a way not seen in some time. This study is flawed in that it only uses the NFAR data however comments in this thread seem to indicate that the river flows further north are also looking to be low flows for the rest of the year. This could be an interesting summer...................63bkpkr

 

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[wingmaster]

Not sure how big the river is but I'm thinking it could be a great time to get spots that you normally couldn't when it hits the summer low, as in maybe you'll be able to dig some cracks and dig some spots that would normally be in deep water. We had a drought the last two summers here and didn't get a sluice till to late last year to take advantage of all the exposed bedrock, though this area isn't good gold area anyway as its all glacial gold.

 

[sidvail]

I hope to get out there also. I plan hitting the easy to get to spots (Ponderosa, Mineral Bar, etc) soon and see how low the water is. Amazing what a difference the level makes in how the river looks and acts.

Anyone know of any websites with historical photographic data on water levels? I'd love to see some videos of the rivers at flood levels just to see the difference.

Do I understand it correctly - for rivers with dams, the water levels are more controlled and have less flood levels than those without?

 

[Hoser John]

Nasty low water conditions in shasta/trinity national forests. Extremely low waters in the creeks,gonna be a puddle pumper kind a year as I've never seen anything this low in 56+ years a mining sic sic sic-John

 

[Fullpan]

I hope to get out there also. I plan hitting the easy to get to spots (Ponderosa, Mineral Bar, etc) soon and see how low the water is. Amazing what a difference the level makes in how the river looks and acts.

Anyone know of any websites with historical photographic data on water levels? I'd love to see some videos of the rivers at flood levels just to see the difference.

Do I understand it correctly - for rivers with dams, the water levels are more controlled and have less flood levels than those without?

Type in - South Yuba River flood - to see utube of flooding. This was dec. 2012. Much worse in 86', 2010. Normal flow under the bridge is maybe 15 ft wide
and 20 ft lower. You can do the same for footage of NFAR same year (2012) Notice how there is NO bedrock showing - this is when flakes and small pickers are moving!

 

[sidvail]

Wow, great videos. That's what I was looking for. That's a whole different dynamic at work there. 18,000cfs? Damn.

 

[Rdg Sluicer]

Nasty low water conditions in shasta/trinity national forests. Extremely low waters in the creeks,gonna be a puddle pumper kind a year as I've never seen anything this low in 56+ years a mining sic sic sic-John

If you want some water go over to the Trinity right now.... they got the annual artificial flood going right now.

 

[NorCalPilot]

those videos were awesome!

 

[Fullpan]

63bkpkr - your comment above "the boulders were bouncing on the bottom and giant trees were really moving downstream..." I too witnessed that in my
dredge camp in 86'. The sound of 5-10 ton boulders rolling downstream is really scary.

P.S. I lost some gear as well as many miners did. Good news, some of the guys applied and got disaster relief! Most of the
checks were spent in Nevada City bars.

 

[63bkpkr]

Yes Fullpan, it is an amazing sight and sound to hear those boulders bouncing along the bottom of that fast flowing muddy river!! One can hear how gold becomes tiny flattened pieces! I would not want to be in that water under those conditions at all! I assume you mean the river took the gear? Interesting they received disaster relief. I wonder if miners could do that now due to the closing of dredging? I mean if they really need it as their lively hood was taken from them.

The times are disappointing.......................63bkpkr

 

[Fullpan]

Yes, the beuarats are funny sometimes. One guy bought the bar drinks all night with his "Disaster Relief Check". I think it was about three hundred dollars, but
the whole thing was carefully itemized by some desk jockey: 12$ - one skillet; 55$ - one sleeping bag; 65$ - one sluice box, etc.

I guess you could "spin" it and say that miner did his his part to stimulate the local economy! At any rate it shows that miners were respected in the years "pre-Sierra Fund".

 

[Fullpan]

sidvail - as to your last question above, "for rivers with dams...less flood levels...? As I understand, they are required by law to keep discharges below flood levels. Hoser John, however, states from personal experience how extremely dangerous mining can be below big dams, especially in wet years. It can
be a life or death proposition, and if you're not fined-tuned to release times everyday, you'll die.

 

[medic7a]

South fork of the american was running at almost 3000 cfs the other day downstream from chili bar. Flooded my sluice channel i had made 2 weeks ago.

 

[Fullpan]

Welcome to tnet, medic! - hope you're finding good color on SF.

 

[medic7a]

Thanks, there is always good flood gold on the sf. You just have to find access to it. On the subject of waterflow, check dreamflows.com for current and past flow rates on most rivers in the west. Gives you an idea of release times for areas below dams.

 

[63bkpkr]

Thank you medic7a for the dreamflows.com input. I usually use USGS Real Time Water Flows and then go to California and then go to the rivers. The different river drainages have very different flows depending on the geography and the snow but they are still interesting to monitor to try to understand what is going on....................63bkpkr