Measurements of streamflow gain and loss on the Souris River between Lake Darling and Verendrye, North Dakota, August 31 and September 1, 2021
Dry conditions during 2020 and 2021 affected the water supply within the Souris River Basin and highlighted the need for better understanding of the streamflow dynamics for managing the resource during low-flow conditions. In June 2021, a loss of streamflow was observed on the Souris River between U.S. Geological Survey streamgages on the Souris River near Foxholm, North Dakota (site 1), and near Verendrye, N. Dak. (site 22). The largest loss was upstream from the Souris River above Minot, N. Dak. (site 7). On June 6, 2021, the daily mean streamflow decreased from 33.8 cubic feet per second at site 1 to 16.3 cubic feet per second at site 7, a loss of 17.5 cubic feet per second. To better understand where streamflow losses occurred in the reach from site 1 to site 22, multiple sites were selected for streamflow measurements between the three streamgages (sites 1, 7, and 22). Streamflow measurements made at 22 selected sites on the Souris River on August 31 and September 1, 2021, did not indicate the loss in streamflow that was observed at the three streamgages (sites 1, 7, and 22) in June 2021. Measurements made at the three streamgages (sites 1, 7, and 22) on August 31 had streamflows of 44.2, 45.9, and 46.8 cubic feet per second, respectively. Streamflow measured at all 22 sites on August 31 and September 1 on the Souris River ranged from 38.4 (site 9) to 49.8 cubic feet per second (site 12). In general, the largest change in streamflow was measured among sites on the Souris River in or near the city of Minot, N. Dak.