382 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM FLOWS OF STREAMS. 



By way of illustrating the range of the maximum and minimum flows of streams 

 in the State of New York we may cite data from Genesee and Hudson Rivers, and 

 other streams. In the great flood on Genesee in May, 1894, the maximum flow from 

 a catchment area of 1,070 square miles was 42,000 cubic feet per second. The total 

 discharge of the stream from 7 a.m. of May 19, 1894, to 7 a.m. of May 24, was, 

 roundly, 6,900,000,000 cubic feet. At the rate of 1,000 cubic feet per second this 

 quantity of water would have maintained the flow of the stream eighty days. Flood 

 flows of from 25,000 to 35,000 cubic feet per second in upper Genesee 

 are very common. 



The minimum mean monthly flow of upper Genesee may be taken at 0.099 cubic 

 feet per square mile per second. Occasionally, for a few days, it is probably as low as 

 about 0.080 cubic feet per second. The following table gives the mean monthly flows 

 for a catchment basin of 1,070 square miles as gaged at Mount Morris for the several 

 low flow months of the year 1895, that year being a year of minimum flow on 

 Genesee River: 





MEAN FLOW 



CUBIC FEET 



INCHES 



MONTH 



IN CUBIC FEET 



PER SEC. 



ON THE 





PER SEC. 



PER SQ. MILE 



WATERSHED 



May, 



174 



O.163 



O.I9 



June, . 



128 



0.1 19 



O.I3 



July, 



105 



0.099 



O.I I 



August, ......... 



"5 



0.108 



O.I2 



September, ......... 



100 



0.093 



O.IO 



October, ......... 



104 



0.097 



O.I I 



On Hudson River the maximum flow thus far observed, which occurred on April 

 19, 1896, was 59,400 cubic feet per second. Minimum flows of about 1,080 cubic 

 feet per second have been observed for a few days on several occasions. Expressed 

 in cubic feet per second per square mile, the maximum flow becomes 13.2 cubic feet 

 per second per square mile, and the minimum 0.24 of a cubic foot per second per 

 square mile. This latter figure, however, does not take into account the diversion for 

 Champlain Canal, and when an addition is made covering this item, the observed 

 minimum flow of the stream properly becomes 0.29 cubic feet per second per square 

 mile. The following table gives the flow of Hudson River by months during the 

 entire water year of 1895, m which year the flow was the least of any during the 

 period covered by the gagings: 



