Cuyahoga River at Independence, OH

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By Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center May 30, 2019

Water-quality “super” gages (also known as “sentry” gages) provide real-time, continuous measurements of the physical and chemical characteristics of stream water at or near selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. A super gage includes streamflow and water-quality instrumentation and representative stream sample collection for laboratory analysis. USGS scientists can use statistical surrogate models to relate instrument values to analyzed chemical concentrations at a super gage. Real-time, continuous and laboratory-analyzed concentration and load data are publicly accessible on USGS Web pages.

Available Data

Stream Data: Gage height, discharge

Water-Quality Data: Water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, and turbidity

Atmospheric Data: None

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Station Description

Latitude: 41°23'43"

Longitude: 81°37'48"

Hydrologic Unit Code: 04110002

Datum: 582.66 feet above NAVD88

Drainage Area: 707 square miles

County in which site is located: Cuyahoga County

Site Managed by: New Philadelphia Office

Station Funding

This gage is operated and maintained in cooperation with the USGS Federal Priority Streamgages and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Station ID: 04208000

Cuyahoga River at Independence OH - view from river bank

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Hydrologic Conditions

The Cuyahoga River at Independence OH gage has a drainage area of 707 square miles and is located approximately 13 miles above where the Cuyahoga River drains into Lake Erie.

Sample Collection and Use

Stage and discharge are measured at Cuyahoga River at Independence OH gage along with selected water-quality parameters. A water-quality sonde measures water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, and turbidity at 15-minute intervals and results are transmitted to USGS servers hourly through a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES).

Water-quality samples are collected throughout the range of hydrologic and chemical conditions. Water quality analyses include the following parameters: organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, nitrate plus nitrite, orthophosphorus, total phosphorous, suspended sediment, and chloride

Why Continous Monitoring is Important

The discharge of excessive amounts of nutrients from tributaries to the Great Lakes can cause harmful algal blooms and eutrophication. In 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to target problem areas, and accelerate and track the progress of restoration efforts.

Cuyahoga River at Independence OH - water quality sonde

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

The water quality information collected by the USGS at the Cuyahoga River at Independence OH gage will be used to monitor nutrient, chloride, and suspended sediment loading to Lake Erie in order to inform models used to predict harmful algal blooms and eutrophication, and to track changes in loadings over time that may result from changing climate, land use, and(or) agricultural practices.