11136800 CUYAMA RIVER BELOW BUCKHORN CANYON, NEAR SANTA MARIA, CA
LOCATION.-Lat 35°01'19", long 120°13'39", SW 1/4 sec.14, T.11 N., R.32 W., San Luis Obispo-Santa
Barbara County Line, Hydrologic Unit 18060007, on downstream side of bridge on State Highway 166, 1.5 mi
downstream from Buckhorn Canyon, and 13 mi northeast of Santa Maria.
DRAINAGE AREA.-886 mi2.
WATER-DISCHARGE RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD.-October 1903 to December 1905 (published as Santa Maria River near Santa Maria), October 1959
to current year. Monthly discharge only for October 1903 and July 1904. Yearly estimate for water year 1941
(incomplete), published in WSP 1315-B.
REVISED RECORDS.-WDR CA-71-1: Drainage area. WDR CA-77-1: 1976.
GAGE.-Water-stage recorder. Elevation of gage is 760 ft above sea level, from topographic map. Prior to October
1959, nonrecording gage at different site and datum.
REMARKS.-Records poor. No regulation upstream from station. Pumping from wells along stream for irrigation of
several thousand acres in Upper Cuyama Valley.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD.-Maximum discharge, 26,200 ft3/s, Feb. 23, 1998, gage height, 14.76 ft,
from rating curve extended above 4,900 ft3/s on basis of slope-area measurement at gage height 14.76
ft; no flow at times in most years.
EXTREMES FOR CURRENT YEAR.-Peak discharges greater than base discharge of 200 ft3/s, or maximum:
Discharge Gage height Discharge Gage height
Date Time (ft3/s) (ft) Date Time (ft3/s) (ft)
Feb. 10 2130 69 6.49
DISCHARGE, CUBIC FEET PER SECOND, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 1998 TO SEPTEMBER 1999
DAILY MEAN VALUES
DAY OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
1 11 9.5 e12 e8.2 29 9.5 12 11 3.9 1.7 .49 .09
2 14 9.6 e11 e8.4 17 11 12 9.0 3.9 1.6 .44 .14
3 20 9.4 e11 e9.1 14 9.1 12 9.2 4.1 1.6 .32 .15
4 19 8.9 e10 e9.0 19 9.4 11 9.6 4.0 1.5 .34 .17
5 16 8.3 e10 e8.7 23 8.5 11 8.8 4.0 1.4 .36 .17
6 14 8.1 e11 e9.3 27 9.4 15 8.2 3.9 1.3 .39 .19
7 8.6 8.8 e10 e10 26 15 17 8.4 3.2 1.3 .52 .17
8 9.5 11 e9.7 e11 23 14 13 7.6 3.0 1.1 .44 .17
9 7.8 10 e9.0 13 35 16 14 7.5 3.0 .99 .35 .16
10 8.2 8.9 e8.2 13 27 15 11 7.3 3.0 .98 .31 .21
11 8.0 11 e8.0 12 25 18 14 7.0 2.8 .96 .31 .16
12 7.9 11 e8.2 8.7 16 20 17 7.5 2.7 .90 .24 .16
13 8.7 8.9 e8.4 8.4 11 14 12 6.6 2.6 .85 .19 .15
14 9.2 8.1 e8.4 9.0 10 12 10 7.4 2.4 .87 .16 .16
15 9.6 7.8 e8.3 11 10 28 9.9 6.7 2.4 .92 .17 .15
16 11 7.5 e8.2 10 12 34 9.9 6.6 2.4 .89 .12 .18
17 11 7.9 e8.5 9.6 12 20 8.2 6.8 2.3 .88 .14 .17
18 11 7.4 e8.9 8.6 13 14 7.7 6.5 2.2 .94 .15 e.17
19 11 7.1 e9.1 8.1 13 15 7.6 6.1 2.1 .94 .12 e.18
20 11 6.7 e9.5 14 13 32 7.7 6.5 2.1 .91 .10 e.19
21 11 6.7 e9.4 e17 13 31 7.4 7.3 2.1 .91 .09 .20
22 11 7.1 e9.2 e12 12 18 8.3 7.1 2.0 .93 .11 .21
23 8.6 7.4 e9.0 16 13 16 8.8 7.1 2.0 .86 .11 .19
24 8.7 8.0 e8.7 17 13 14 8.9 6.9 1.9 .82 .08 .18
25 11 7.6 e8.5 26 13 16 7.9 6.3 1.9 .75 .09 .17
26 13 7.8 e8.2 30 14 19 8.3 5.7 1.9 .73 .16 .16
27 12 e8.5 e8.0 30 11 15 8.0 6.1 1.9 .67 .13 .14
28 12 e9.9 e8.0 16 12 12 9.0 5.3 1.8 .62 .09 .14
29 13 e10 e8.5 15 --- 10 9.6 4.4 1.6 .54 .09 .14
30 12 e11 e8.6 12 --- 11 10 4.5 1.7 .44 .10 .17
31 11 --- e8.4 28 --- 11 --- 3.9 --- .46 .09 ---
TOTAL 349.8 259.9 281.9 418.1 476 496.9 318.2 218.9 78.8 30.26 6.80 4.99
MEAN 11.3 8.66 9.09 13.5 17.0 16.0 10.6 7.06 2.63 .98 .22 .17
MAX 20 11 12 30 35 34 17 11 4.1 1.7 .52 .21
MIN 7.8 6.7 8.0 8.1 10 8.5 7.4 3.9 1.6 .44 .08 .09
AC-FT 694 516 559 829 944 986 631 434 156 60 13 9.9
e Estimated.
STATISTICS OF MONTHLY MEAN DATA FOR WATER YEARS 1960 - 1999, BY WATER YEAR (WY)
OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
MEAN .84 2.66 15.7 41.2 121 107 27.4 8.52 4.53 2.01 1.26 1.76
MAX 11.3 23.6 275 467 1210 974 243 96.9 66.0 26.2 20.8 22.7
(WY) 1999 1966 1967 1969 1998 1995 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1990
MIN .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
(WY) 1960 1960 1960 1960 1964 1961 1961 1961 1961 1960 1960 1960
SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR 1998 CALENDAR YEAR FOR 1999 WATER YEAR WATER YEARS 1960 - 1999
ANNUAL TOTAL 59776.5 2940.55
ANNUAL MEAN 164 8.06 27.3
HIGHEST ANNUAL MEAN 168 1998
LOWEST ANNUAL MEAN .002 1964
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN 10000 Feb 24 35 Feb 9 10000 Feb 24
1998
LOWEST DAILY MEAN 2.3 Jan 8 .08 Aug 24 .00 Oct 1
1959
ANNUAL SEVEN-DAY MINIMUM 3.3 Jan 2 .10 Aug 19 .00 Oct 1
1959
INSTANTANEOUS PEAK FLOW 69 Feb 10 26200 Feb 23
1998
INSTANTANEOUS PEAK STAGE 6.49 Feb 10 14.76 Feb 23
1998
ANNUAL RUNOFF (AC-FT) 118600 5830 19800
10 PERCENT EXCEEDS 388 15 21
50 PERCENT EXCEEDS 30 8.3 .52
90 PERCENT EXCEEDS 8.4 .17 .00
11136800 CUYAMA RIVER BELOW BUCKHORN CANYON, NEAR SANTA MARIA, CA-Continued
WATER-QUALITY RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD.-Water year 1978 to current year.
CHEMICAL DATA: Water year 1978 to current year.
SEDIMENT DATA: January 1999 to September 1999.
WATER-QUALITY DATA, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 1998 TO SEPTEMBER 1999
DIS- PH BARO- OXYGEN,
CHARGE, SPE- WATER METRIC DIS- HARD- MAGNE-
INST. CIFIC WHOLE PRES- SOLVED NESS CALCIUM SIUM,
CUBIC CON- FIELD TEMPER- SURE OXYGEN, (PER- TOTAL DIS- DIS-
FEET DUCT- (STAND- ATURE (MM DIS- CENT (MG/L SOLVED SOLVED
DATE TIME PER ANCE ARD WATER OF SOLVED SATUR- AS (MG/L (MG/L
SECOND (US/CM) UNITS) (DEG C) HG) (MG/L) ATION) CACO3) AS CA) AS MG)
(00061) (00095) (00400) (00010) (00025) (00300) (00301) (00900) (00915) (00925)
NOV
04... 1525 7.5 2500 8.3 20.0 -- -- -- -- -- --
JAN
13... 1520 8.9 2580 7.9 16.0 -- -- -- -- -- --
FEB
03... 1435 14 2630 8.2 17.0 -- -- -- -- -- --
MAR
05... 1250 9.1 2610 8.3 18.0 748 9.5 103 1100 220 122
APR
19... 1210 7.4 2310 8.2 25.5 -- -- -- -- -- --
MAY
20... 1350 5.2 2150 8.0 24.0 -- -- -- -- -- --
JUN
09... 1350 3.4 1930 8.1 27.5 -- -- -- -- -- --
JUL
07... 1230 1.4 1590 8.1 30.0 -- -- -- -- -- --
AUG
17... 1450 .11 1630 8.1 31.5 -- -- -- -- -- --
SEP
10... 1635 .10 1560 8.2 26.5 -- -- -- -- -- --
BICAR- ALKA-
SODIUM POTAS- BONATE LINITY CHLO- FLUO- SILICA,
SODIUM, AD- SIUM, WATER WAT DIS SULFATE RIDE, RIDE, DIS-
DIS- SORP- DIS- DIS IT TOT IT DIS- DIS- DIS- SOLVED
SOLVED TION SOLVED FIELD FIELD SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED (MG/L
DATE (MG/L SODIUM RATIO (MG/L MG/L AS MG/L AS (MG/L (MG/L (MG/L AS
AS NA) PERCENT AS K) HCO3 CACO3 AS SO4) AS CL) AS F) SIO2)
(00930) (00932) (00931) (00935) (00453) (39086) (00945) (00940) (00950) (00955)
NOV
04... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
JAN
13... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
FEB
03... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
MAR
05... 249 34 3 5.5 220 180 1100 160 .6 12
APR
19... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
MAY
20... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
JUN
09... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
JUL
07... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
AUG
17... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
SEP
10... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
WATER-QUALITY DATA, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 1998 TO SEPTEMBER 1999
SOLIDS, SOLIDS, NITRO- NITRO- NITRO- PHOS-
RESIDUE SUM OF SOLIDS, GEN, GEN, GEN, PHORUS MANGA-
AT 180 CONSTI- DIS- NITRITE NO2+NO3 AMMONIA ORTHO, BORON, IRON, NESE,
DEG. C TUENTS, SOLVED DIS- DIS- DIS- DIS- DIS- DIS- DIS-
DIS- DIS- (TONS SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED
DATE SOLVED SOLVED PER (MG/L (MG/L (MG/L (MG/L (UG/L (UG/L (UG/L
(MG/L) (MG/L) AC-FT) AS N) AS N) AS N) AS P) AS B) AS FE) AS MN)
(70300) (70301) (70303) (00613) (00631) (00608) (00671) (01020) (01046) (01056)
NOV
04... 2010 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
JAN
13... 2170 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
FEB
03... 2230 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
MAR
05... 2130 1990 2.90 <.01 .16 .03 .03 550 <30 e5
APR
19... 1900 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
MAY
20... 1440 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
JUN
09... 1630 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
JUL
07... 1160 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
AUG
17... 1160 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
SEP
10... 1140 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
PARTICLE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, WATER YEAR OCTOBER 1998 TO SEPTEMBER 1999
DIS- SEDI-
CHARGE, MENT,
INST. SEDI- DIS-
CUBIC TEMPER- MENT, CHARGE,
FEET ATURE SUS- SUS-
DATE TIME PER WATER PENDED PENDED
SECOND (DEG C) (MG/L) (T/DAY)
(00061) (00010) (80154) (80155)
JAN 1999
13... 1505 8.9 16.0 116 2.8
22... 1315 12 17.5 156 5.1
26... 1145 25 10.0 588 40
FEB
03... 1450 14 17.0 232 8.8
09... 1145 31 12.5 781 65
25... 1130 11 14.5 189 5.6
MAR
05... 1200 9.1 18.0 98 2.4
11... 1225 13 20.0 187 6.6
15... 1135 24 7.5 747 48
25... 1355 19 18.5 552 28
e Estimated.
< Actual value is known to be less than value shown.
USGS Water Resources of California
USGS Headquarters |
Biology |
Geology |
Mapping |
Water