Broad River near Bell water level

Name: Broad River near Bell 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, Broad River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.43ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 03:30 AM EDT (50 min ago)

Flow: 230 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Broad River near Bell reads 3.43 ft, a normal level.

It is 17.57 ft below the flood stage of 21.00 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.08 ft and 4.70 ft.

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

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.08 ft – 4.70 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.08 ft – 12.08 ft
Highest on record: 34.80 ftOctober 2, 1929

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 21.00 ft, still 17.57 ft away.

What happens at each level

35.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Broad River is at the junction of the GA 17 bridge beams and pier caps. Bridge closure is imminent or already occurring. The GA 17 boat ramp access parking area is submerged by at least 12-15 feet of water. Several feet of water is likely flooding farmland and wooded areas along a 5-mile reach up- and downstream from the streamgauge site.
27.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. The GA 17 boat ramp access parking area is submerged by at least 6 feet of water. Several feet of water is likely flooding farmland and wooded areas along a 5-mile reach up- and downstream from the streamgauge and beginning to flood adjacent wooded areas and farmland.
21.00 ft: Minor Flood Stage. Parking area at the GA 17 boat ramp access point is submerged by approximately 1 foot of water.
19.00 ft: Action Stage. Boat ramp at GA 17 bridge is nearly submerged by Broad River. Broad River is exceeding bankfull in some locations along a 5-mile reach up- and downstream from the streamgauge and beginning to flood adjacent wooded areas and farmland.
3.43 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	34.80 ft	October 2, 1929
2	30.50 ft	October 2, 1989
3	30.30 ft	November 29, 1948
4	29.50 ft	March 6, 1929
5	28.60 ft	November 7, 1977
6	28.42 ft	February 5, 1998
7	28.10 ft	August 16, 1928
8	27.56 ft	December 31, 2015
9	27.42 ft	March 4, 1971
10	27.20 ft	January 19, 1943

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 71° 54° – Wind 16 mph

18 Sun 64° 46° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 71° 39° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 77° 46° – Wind 3 mph

21 Wed 75° 50° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 76° 48° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 76° 49° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:54 PM Daylight 11 hr, 14 min First quarter 57%

Map

Other gauges on the Broad River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Broad River near Boiling SpringsRiver gauge, Broad River	1.89 ft	Normal	−0.09 ft	105 mi
Broad River near BlacksburgRiver gauge, Broad River	3.09 ft	Normal	−0.25 ft	104 mi
Broad River below Ninetynine Island ReservoirRiver gauge, Broad River	26.41 ft	Normal	+0.09 ft	103 mi
Broad River below Neal Shoals Reservoir near CarlisleRiver gauge, Broad River	3.87 ft	No reference yet	−0.45 ft	89 mi
Broad River near CarlisleRiver gauge, Broad River	2.90 ft	Normal	−0.23 ft	88 mi
Broad River near JenkinsvilleRiver gauge, Broad River	221.31 ft	Normal	−0.44 ft	85 mi
Broad River at AlstonRiver gauge, Broad River	3.63 ft	Normal	−0.49 ft	85 mi
Broad River near ColumbiaRiver gauge, Broad River	154.04 ft	Normal	−0.49 ft	97 mi
Broad River above CarltonRiver gauge, Broad River	0.72 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	15 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Russell Lake above Calhoun FallsLake, Russell Lake	473.28 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	12 mi
Beaverdam Creek above ElbertonRiver gauge, Beaverdam Creek	1.17 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	15 mi
Little River near Mount CarmelRiver gauge, Little River	2.71 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Kettle Creek near WashingtonRiver gauge, Kettle Creek	2.96 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	21 mi
Little River near WashingtonRiver gauge, Little River	3.76 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	25 mi
Thurmond Lake near Plum BranchLake, Thurmond Lake	319.44 ft	Very low	−0.14 ft	26 mi
Rocky River near StarrRiver gauge, Rocky River	2.88 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	30 mi
North Oconee River at College St, at AthensRiver gauge, North Oconee River	3.50 ft	Very low	−0.13 ft	35 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Broad River near Bell?

The official flood stage is 21.00 ft. The level is currently 17.57 ft below it.

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 Broad River near Bell today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 03:30 AM EDT, the water level was 3.43 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Broad River near Bell rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 1.27 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Broad River near Bell normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Broad River near Bell?

The highest level on record is 34.80 ft on October 2, 1929.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02192000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.97264, -82.77086 (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	3.43 ft	2026-10-19 07:30	Provisional
Flow	230 cfs	2026-10-19 07:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Broad River near Bell (usgs:02192000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/broad-river-near-bell

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