DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Hubert Work. Secretary U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY George Otto Smith, Director Water-Supply Paper 558 PRELIMINARY INDEX TO RIVER SURVEYS MADE BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND OTHER AGENCIES BY BENJAMIN E. JONES AND RANDOLPH O. HELLAND \& WASflBNGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1926 CONTENTS Pag* Introduction _______________________________ ______________ 1 Alabama _______________________________________________ . 4 Alaska _____________________________________ 5 Arizona ________________________________________ 5 Arkansas ____________ ___________________________________ 9 California _____________ _.._______________________________ 9 Colorado__._________________________________ 16 Connecticut _____:____________________________________ 20 Delaware ________________________________________ 20 District of Columbia_____________________________ 20? Florida_____________________________________ 20* Georgia .___ ____________________________ 2P Hawaii______________c._________.____.___ 2$ Idaho_-__-______________.____________ 23 Illinois_________________________________ 2& Indiana.______________________________ 30* Iowa ____________________________________ 30? Kansas_______________________________ 301 Kentucky ._____________________________ 30» Louisiana ________ ____________________________ ________ 31 Maine _____ ___________ ___________________ ____ 31 Maryland _________________________________ 35 Massachusetts _______________ _________.___________ 36 Michigan _________ _ __________ __ 37 Minnesota. ____________ ________________________ __ ______ 37 Mississippi ___________________________________ 40> Missouri ______________ _______________ __. ____ 41 Montana. _____ ,.__________ ____________________ 41 Nebraska.-__________ ______________ ________ __________ 4£ Nevada _____ ____ __________________________ __________ 43 New Hampshire.__________________ _______ _______ __ 44 New Jersey_______________________________________________ 44 New Mexico. __ _ __ _____________ ____ __ ____ 44 New York__________ ________ ____ ___ ______ __ 46 North Carolina_____________________ ___________ 51 North Dakota____ _.__________________________ 53 Ohio_________________________________________ 54 Oklahoma , 54 Oregon _________.___________ _________ _____ __ __ 54 Pennsylvania ___ _ ._ ___________ ____ 68- Rhode Island ___ ___ _______ _ 7L South Carolina-______________________________________ 71i in IV PRELIMINARY INDEX TO BIVEE SURVEYS Page. South Dakota_____________ __. ____ _____ _____ __ 71 Tennessee _____-_-_.__________.____________________ 71 Texas.______________________________.___ 72 Utah._______________________________l.____ 75 Vermont ___________________________________________ 82 Virginia___________________ __________ ____ 83 Washington _ _ __ ___ _______, _ _ __ _ ___ _ _ _ _ __ 84 West Virginia._____________________________^______________ 94 Wisconsin _ _________________________.___ _ _ 95 Wyoming ._ __________________________.___ 96 Surveys needed_______________________________.,___.___-___-____ 99 Index________________________._____________ 101 ILLUSTRATIONS Pas- PLATE 1. Map showing areas covered by topographic surveys made by the Geological Survey prior to July 1, 1925 2 2. Map of the United States showing drainage areas and index numbers__________ _ .___ In pocket. PRELIMINARY INDEX TO RIVER SURVEYS MADE BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND OTHER AGENCIES By BENJAMIN E. JONES and RANDOLPH O. HELLAND INTRODUCTION In the determination of the extent of the natural resources of the United States many surveys of our rivers and lakes have been made by Federal, State, semipublic, and private agencies. The results have not been uniform, and many of the maps are difficult to obtain. In general the types of surveys may be divided into two groups those which have been made primarily to determine features affect­ ing navigation, and those which have been made to determine the possibilities of developing storage and power. Surveys of the first type have been made principally under the direction of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. Ordinarily, such surveys are made on a large scale, and the maps show the depth of water, location and character of obstructions, rapids, and the general topography of the banks. Many of these surveys do not show the elevations of the water surface, from which a profile could be made, nor details of topography by means of contours. They are made primarily in the interest of navigation and are of less value for studies of storage or power possibilities. Surveys of the second type as made by the United States Geological Survey in recent years show eleva­ tions of water surface and, by means of contours, the detailed topography of the land adjacent to the stream bed. Information concerning the maps made by the Corps of Engineers is contained in the annual reports of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, and in indexes to those reports. Information relative to surveys of the second type has not heretofore been assembled. The present compilation has been prepared primarily for the use of Government bureaus to afford information concerning the rivers on which surveys have been made and the character of the maps available. The list embraces not only all the rivers surveyed and maps published by the United States Geological Survey but also many maps made and published by other Government agencies and the several States, 1 '-2 PEEMMINABY INDEX *O BIVER SURVEYS It is realized that in a compilation of this character many maps will be overlooked, as the files of the Geological Survey, although extensive, are not complete. As this index will be republished from time to time, to bring it up to date, any information concerning errors or omissions will be welcomed. Some of the earlier, maps show only the plan and profile of the stream with very little -topography. The more recent surveys, especially those made by the United States Geological Survey, show topography, usually to a height of 200 feet or more above the water surface. The scale generally adopted by the Geological Survey for liver surveys is 1: 31,680, or half a mile to the inch. The contour interval ordinarily is 20, 25, or 50 feet on land and 5 feet on the water surface. The standard topographic maps of areas in the United States published by the Geological Survey afford much information of value in connection with studies of river development and are particularly useful in areas where more detailed river surveys have not been made. The areas covered by these maps made prior to July 1, 1925, and the scale employed for each area are shown on Plate 1. In preparing the standard topographic maps it is necessary to survey the rivers, and these surveys will hereafter be made on a scale suit­ able for preparing detailed maps of rivers whose power, irrigation, or navigation features justify such maps. Thus each year's work will augment the maps of rivers available, until, as planned, at the end of 20 years all the streams in the country will have been surveyed. In this compilation the surveys have been arranged by States and within the States by drainage basins. The tributary streams are indicated by letters; for example, a stream marked "(a)" is tributary to the last-named stream not marked with a letter, a stream marked "(&)" is tributary to the last-named stream marked "(a)," and so on. In the Great Basin tributaries of Great Salt Lake and other inde­ pendent drainage systems are indicated by "(a)." The .index number, made up of letters and figures, in parentheses, refers to the drainage-area subdivisions shown on Plate 2. The imm*- bers refer to the major areas that form the great drainage basins of the country as classified by the Geological Survey in its publications on stream flow and by the Weather Bureau in its meteorologic reports. These major areas are as follows: 1. North Atlantic basins. 2. South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico basins. 3. Ohio River basin. 4. St. Lawrence River basin. 5. Upper Mississippi River and Hudson Bay basins. 6. Missouri River basin. 7. Lower Mississippi River basin. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 558 PLATE I 30' 129* 128' 127 126* I2S* 124 123* 122* 121 120" 119 118" 117* 116 US' 114* 113' 112* 111 110' 109* 108' IO7* IO6* IDS' IOV IO3* 102* 101* IOO* 99* 98* 97* 96* 95* 94-* 93* 92* 91* 90* 89* 88* 87* 86* 85* 8V 83* 82* 81* 80* 79* 78* 77* 76* 75* 74* 73" 72' 71* 7O* 69* 68* 67 EXPLANATION Surveyed in previous years 21* 120* 119* 118* 117* 116* 115' 114* 113° 112* 111' IIO° 109* IO8° 107' IO6° IO5' \OV IO3* 102° 101° IOO° 99° 98° 97' 96° 95° 94-* 93' 92° 91' 90' 89' 88° 87* 86* 85* 84-' 83* 82° 81' BO* 79* 78* 77* 76 AREAS COVERED BY TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYS MADE BY UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PRIOR TO JULY 1, 1925 AND TEERITOEY COVERED BY DIVISIONS OF TOPOGRAPHIC BRANCH Scale "lioooooo 000 200 30O ioo 6Oo Miles INTRODUCTION 3 8. Western Gulf of Mexico basins. 9. Colorado River basin. 10. Great Basin. 11. Pacific basins in California. " 12. North Pacific basins. Each major area is divided into intermediate areas conforming to its dominant drainage systems and designated 12A, 12B, etc., the number in the designation being that of the major area and the let­ ter referring to a specific intermediate area within it. The inter­ mediate areas are further divided into minor areas, each designated by the number of the major area, the letter of the intermediate area, and a final letter distinguishing it from adjacent minor areas, as 12FA, 12FB. Each drainage division is lettered in