Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir water level

Name: Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir 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, Arkansas River, Colorado, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.09ft Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM MDT (52 min ago)

Flow: 23.9 cfs
Water temperature: 59 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 1.09 ft, the Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir is below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.09 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.09 ft and 1.49 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 59 °F.

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

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.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 74° 43° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 76° 45° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 86° 51° – Wind 25 mph

23 Fri 79° 66° – Wind 28 mph

24 Sat 68° 58° 0.70 in, 50% Wind 27 mph

25 Sun 68° 49° 1.06 in, 50% Wind 20 mph

26 Mon 48° 42° 0.04 in Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:06 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Arkansas River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River at Moffat Street at PuebloRiver gauge, Arkansas River	157 cfs	Normal	−10.0 cfs	92 mi
Arkansas River near AvondaleRiver gauge, Arkansas River	2.90 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	81 mi
Arkansas River at Las AnimasRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.7 cfs	Very low	±0	16 mi
Arkansas River at LamarRiver gauge, Arkansas River	5.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.06 ft	17 mi
Arkansas River near GranadaRiver gauge, Arkansas River	75.6 cfs	Normal	−1.1 cfs	34 mi
Arkansas River at HollyRiver gauge, Arkansas River	92.5 cfs	Normal	−3.0 cfs	44 mi
Arkansas River near CoolidgeRiver gauge, Arkansas River	2.87 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	50 mi
Arkansas River at SyracuseRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.63 ft	High	−0.01 ft	64 mi
Arkansas River at KendallRiver gauge, Arkansas River	6.47 ft	Very high	−0.03 ft	76 mi
Arkansas River at DeerfieldRiver gauge, Arkansas River	5.96 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	98 mi
Arkansas River at Garden CityRiver gauge, Arkansas River	5.18 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	112 mi
Arkansas River at AvondaleRiver gauge, Arkansas River	9.20 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	78 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
John Martin Reservoir at CaddoaReservoir, John Martin Reservoir	3,805.60 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	0.3 mi
Purgatoire River near Las AnimasRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	2.59 ft	Below flood stage	+0.15 ft	15 mi
Timpas Creek at Mouth near SwinkRiver gauge, Timpas Creek	25.7 cfs	Very low	−7.4 cfs	40 mi
Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near TimpasRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	8.2 cfs	Low	−2.2 cfs	48 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 Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM MDT, the water level was 1.09 ft. Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir rising or falling?

Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir normal?

Low 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:07130500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.06639, -102.93194 (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	1.09 ft	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional
Flow	23.9 cfs	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional
Water temperature	59 °F	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir (usgs:07130500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/arkansas-river-below-john-martin-reservoir

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