Vermillion (Hastings), Minnesota, US |
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| Usual Difficulty | II-III+ (varies with level) |
|---|---|
| Length | 0.5 Miles |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VERMILLION RIVER NEAR EMPIRE, MN | ||||
| usgs-05345000 | 100 - 450 cfs | I | 64d23h03m | 21 cfs (rc= -0.7 ) |
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There are several nice holes for surfing and blasting at 100 cfs and higher. The holes are
shallow, and the rocks are sharp, so be very careful about flips and upstream braces. At higher
flows (over 500cfs), the holes become very sticky and the reach (overall) will merit a class IV
rating, due to being relatively narrow, constricted, twisty, and relatively continuous. It's a
real short run with a trail along side (in a park), so you can carry up to do it again and again
and again.
Boaters are also encouraged to support the "Friends of the Vermillion River Water
Trail" (FVRWT, 'favorite'), which has a brochure available online here.
Note that water quality is generally quite poor, so nose plugs are a good idea. The stream is on
the list of 'impaired waters' due to fecal coliform bacteria levels, which exceed recommended
levels for any contact with the water, especially after a "rain event". For more info
see
Minnesota Polution Control Agency.
The following video (courtesy 'FacePlant' and YouTube) is helmet-cam footage for a boater's-eye
view of the run.
The cited gauge is 17.3 river-miles upstream. A handful of decent sized tribs enter below. Drainage area at the gauge is 129 sq.mi., while at a defunct gauge listed drainage of 195 sq.mi. within a mile upstream of the listed put-in. Thus if/when the entire watershed contributes flow evenly/proportionally, flow in this reach would generally be nearly 1.5 times flow listed on the gauge! On the other hand, when localized rains hit tribs unevenly, flow in the whitewater reach could vary significantly from expectations based upon flow reported by the upstream gauge. Quite regularly the gauge may 'under-report', I.E., this could be boatable (even moderate flows!) when gauge says it's too low (if rain hit tribs other than where gauge is). Also possible (less often), the gauge may 'over-report', showing higher flows than yet exist in the whitewater reach (eg., if reaches above the gauge get hit with rain, and it hasn't worked its way downriver to the whitewater reach). Thus, first-hand on-site observation of the reach is needed to confirm actual conditions.
Some local folks will boat this with reported flows as low as 50 cfs or so. Obviously things will be scrapey, but a couple spots are available for tame play. The 'minimum' as set here is for a more reasonable play experience with more features formed up for good play.
The 'maximum' as set here is more an indicator of a 'bump up' in difficulty level. The river is definitely runnable/playable much higher. (There are reported runs at 1300 cfs and more!)
Based upon the latest 22 years of data,
| Maximum Daily Mean Flow | 3000 cfs |
| Minimum Daily Mean Flow | 14 cfs |
| 10% Flow | 153 cfs |
| 90% Flow | 26 cfs |
| 10/90 Ratio | 5.88 |
The 10/90 ratio of 5.88 would tne to indicate this is what would be classified as a only a moderately 'flashy' stream. A disclaimer here that the analysis is only upon "mean daily flow", thus will not accurately reflect the effect of instantaneous spikes of duration less than a day which often affect urban streams, smaller streams, and streams with less permeable surface in their watershed.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| VERMILLION RIVER NEAR EMPIRE, MN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| usgs-05345000 | 100 - 450 cfs | I | 64d23h03m | 21 cfs (rc= -0.7 ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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USGS gauge (129 sq.mi. drainage) is 17.3 river miles upstream . Actual flow in this reach will vary, and might average 1.5 times what the gauge reads. |
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1y246d19h45m | @Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile) [MN] |
First Drop |
n/a | user: "Jackson120890" |
| 1y248d19h38m | @Vermillion (Hastings) Falls to Old Mill in Hastings (0.5 mile) [MN] |
Account of 07/11/10 |
low runnable level | user: "Jackson120890" |
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