Colorado River below Imperial Dam water level

Name: Colorado River below Imperial 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, Colorado River, California, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

17.15ft Down 0.54 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 09:45 PM MDT (46 min ago)

Flow: 239 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Colorado River below Imperial Dam, where the gauge shows 17.15 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.54 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 17.15 ft – 19.58 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 07:00 PM Daylight 11 hr, 14 min First quarter 65%

Map

Other gauges on the Colorado River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Colorado River below Palo Verde DamRiver gauge, Colorado River	7,120 cfs	High	+2,060 cfs	59 mi
Colorado River below Laguna DamRiver gauge, Colorado River	369 cfs	Normal	−9.0 cfs	4.6 mi
Colorado River below Yuma Main Canal Ww at YumaRiver gauge, Colorado River	541 cfs	Very low	−56.0 cfs	13 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
All-American Canal near Imperial DamCanal gauge, All-American Canal	5,040 cfs	Normal	+1,580 cfs	0.5 mi
Mittry Lake Diversion at Imperial DamRiver gauge, Mittry Lake Diversion	10.2 cfs	Low	+0.3 cfs	1.0 mi
Gila Gravity Main Canal at Imperial DamCanal gauge, Gila Gravity Main Canal	1,010 cfs	Normal	+493 cfs	1.3 mi
Reservation Main Canal near YumaCanal gauge, Reservation Main Canal	41.8 cfs	Very low	−22.1 cfs	4.2 mi
North Gila Main Canal near YumaCanal gauge, North Gila Main Canal	40.7 cfs	Low	+13.4 cfs	4.7 mi
Yaqui Canal near YumaCanal gauge, Yaqui Canal	20.0 cfs	High	+19.2 cfs	8 mi
Gila River near DomeRiver gauge, Gila River	14.57 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	8 mi
North Gila Main Canal North 2 near YumaCanal gauge, North Gila Main Canal North 2	0.6 cfs	Low	−7.7 cfs	8 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 Colorado River below Imperial Dam today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 09:45 PM MDT, the water level was 17.15 ft. Down 0.54 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Colorado River below Imperial Dam rising or falling?

Down 0.54 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Colorado River below Imperial Dam normal?

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

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:09429500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.86758, -114.47211 (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	17.15 ft	2026-10-20 03:45	Provisional
Flow	239 cfs	2026-10-20 03:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Colorado River below Imperial Dam (usgs:09429500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/colorado-river-below-imperial-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