Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam water level

Name: Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Rio Grande, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1.36ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 03:00 AM MDT (55 min ago)

Flow: 0.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 1.36 ft, the Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam is far below normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.34 ft and 1.36 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 9.26 ftMay 22, 2007

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	9.26 ft	May 22, 2007
2	7.92 ft	July 9, 2008
3	7.79 ft	July 21, 2004
4	7.63 ft	June 4, 2014
5	7.50 ft	June 29, 1973
6	7.41 ft	June 23, 2005
7	7.34 ft	July 4, 1972
8	7.32 ft	July 29, 2009
9	7.31 ft	July 8, 2006
10	7.28 ft	July 9, 1965

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 72° 53° 0.44 in, 29% Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 70° 56° 0.14 in, 24% Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 80° 64° 0.02 in, 37% Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 73° 63° 0.50 in, 77% Wind 14 mph

23 Fri 77° 60° 0.14 in, 77% Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 73° 60° – Wind 9 mph

25 Sun 67° 58° 0.12 in, 34% Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:17 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 11 hr, 15 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Grande

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Grande at Alameda Bridge at AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	549 cfs	Normal	+4.0 cfs	145 mi
Rio Grande near AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	236 cfs	Low	−6.0 cfs	144 mi
Rio Grande at AlbuquerqueRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	137 mi
Rio Grande at Valle De OroRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.79 ft	No reference yet	−0.07 ft	130 mi
Rio Grande at Isleta Lakes near IsletaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	146 cfs	Low	−6.0 cfs	128 mi
Rio Grande near Bosque FarmsRiver gauge, Rio Grande	82.8 cfs	Normal	+11.3 cfs	122 mi
Rio Grande at State Highway 346 near BosqueRiver gauge, Rio Grande	175 cfs	Normal	+8.0 cfs	100 mi
Rio Grande at Bridge near EscondidaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	39.2 cfs	Low	−2.2 cfs	70 mi
Rio Grande above Us Highway 380 near San AntonioRiver gauge, Rio Grande	0.0 cfs	Very low	±0	58 mi
Rio Grande at Narrows in Elephant Butte ReservoirRiver gauge, Rio Grande	123 cfs	Normal	−20.0 cfs	17 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elephant Butte ReservoirReservoir	4,296.05 ft	Low		5.6 mi
Caballo ReservoirReservoir	4,138.85 ft	Normal		16 mi
Rio Grande Floodway at San MarcialRiver gauge, Rio Grande Floodway	12.53 ft	Below flood stage	±0	39 mi
Rio Grande Conveyance Channel at San MarcialRiver gauge, Rio Grande Conveyance Channel	176 cfs	Normal	+6.0 cfs	39 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 03:00 AM MDT, the water level was 1.36 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam?

The highest level on record is 9.26 ft on May 22, 2007.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08361000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.14851, -107.20678 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.36 ft	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional
Flow	0.4 cfs	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Grande below Elephant Butte Dam (usgs:08361000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-grande-below-elephant-butte-dam

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer