Huron River near Milan, OH

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By Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center March 26, 2020

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

Station ID: 04199000

Stream Data: Gage height, discharge

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

Atmospheric Data: None

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Station Description

Huron River at Milan, OH - ADCP measurement

Latitude: 41°18'03"

Longitude: 82°36'30"

Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC): 04100012

Datum: 572.61 feet above NAVD88

Drainage Area: 371 square miles

County in which site is located: Erie County

Site managed by: Columbus 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.

Huron River at Milan, OH - gage house equipment

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Hydrologic Setting

The Huron River at Milan OH gage has a drainage area of 371 square miles and is located approximately 7 miles above where the Huron River drains into Lake Erie.

Sample Collection and Use

Stage and discharge are measured at Huron River at Milan 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 Continuous 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.

Huron River at Milan, OH - section measurement

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

The water quality information collected by the USGS at the Huron River at Milan 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.