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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Minimum flow of Black river. The catchment area of this 

 stream at Huntingtonville dam, where the measurements are 

 made, is 1889 square miles. Previous to 1897. aside from measure- 

 ments made by engineers in the employ of the State at the time 

 of construction of the Black river canal and a few made by Frank 

 A. Hines in 1875, there had been no measurements taken of the 

 flow. In February, 1897, the Board of Water Commissioners of 

 Watertown began a record of the daily flow of the river, from 

 which the following statements of minimum flows are taken. 



In July, 1897, the mean flow for the entire month was 940 cubic 

 feet per second; for two days it was about 582 cubic feet per 

 second; one day, 630 cubic feet per second, and one Sunday is 

 given at 480 cubic feet per second. In August, 1897, the mean 

 flow for August 6 was 782 cubic feet per second; for August 7, 

 630 cubic feet per second; August 8 (Sunday), 362 cubic feet per 

 second; August 9, 536 cubic feet per second; August 10, 630 

 cubic feet per second ; August 25, 522 cubic feet per second ; 

 August 26, 566 cubic feet per second; August 27, 582 cubic feet 

 per second, and August 28, 322 cubic feet per second. 



In 1898 the minimum month was July, in which the mean flow 

 was 1128 cubic feet per second, although for five days in August 

 the flow was about 900 cubic feet per second. 



The mean flow for the month of August, 1899, was 897 cubic 

 feet per second and for September, 990 cubic feet per second. 

 For a short period in August the flow fell to about 700 cubic feet 

 per second, and on one day it was 522 cubic feet per second. In 

 considering these statements of minimum flow in Black river, the 

 fact that there is a leakage estimated at 250 cubic feet per second 

 should be taken into account; 520 cubic feet per second, which 

 with one exception is the lowest, is at the rate of 0.27 cubic foot 

 per second per square mile. The daily record of this stream 

 shows that it is a good water yielder, as indeed might be expected. 

 There are a large number of reservoirs at the headwaters and it 

 flows from an area largely in primeval forest. It is doubtful, 

 therefore, if Black river will, while present forestry conditions 

 aw maintained, go below about 0.3 cubic foot per second per 

 square mile for more than a few days at a time, although it is 

 claimed to have been less than this for some time in 1849. 



Minimmn flow of Oswegatchie river. From a current meter 

 measurement of the low-water flow of this stream made a few 



