Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls water level

Name: Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls 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, Cottonwood River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Normal for late October

Water level

8.49ft Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT (23 min ago)

Flow: 255 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls is at 8.49 ft, in the normal range for late October.

It has dropped 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 8.49 ft and 10.00 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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 34.97 ftJuly 31, 2020

Floating and fishing near Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	34.97 ft	July 31, 2020
2	33.84 ft	June 27, 2021
3	10.42 ft	September 28, 2019

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

21 Wed 78° 55° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 80° 54° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 77° 59° – Wind 18 mph

24 Sat 77° 61° – Wind 16 mph

25 Sun 76° 60° – Wind 15 mph

26 Mon 64° 49° 0.35 in, 24% Wind 14 mph

27 Tue 53° 45° 0.06 in, 20% Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:41 PM Daylight 11 hr Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Cottonwood River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cottonwood River at MarionRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	4.85 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	24 mi
Cottonwood River near FlorenceRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.16 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Cottonwood River near PlymouthRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	4.09 ft	High	−0.10 ft	13 mi
Cottonwood River at EmporiaRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	23 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sf Cottonwood River near BazaarRiver gauge, Sf Cottonwood River	38.6 cfs	Normal	−2.9 cfs	8 mi
Cedar Creek near Cedar PointRiver gauge, Cedar Creek	3.88 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Neosho River near AmericusRiver gauge, Neosho River	4.67 ft	High	−0.04 ft	20 mi
Neosho River at Council GroveRiver gauge, Neosho River	9.22 ft	Very high	±0	20 mi
Neosho River at Burlingame Road near EmporiaRiver gauge, Neosho River	390 cfs	Very high	−12.0 cfs	24 mi
Neosho River near ParkervilleRiver gauge, Neosho River	2.7 cfs	Normal	±0	25 mi
North Cottonwood River below Marion LakeRiver gauge, North Cottonwood River	4.96 ft	Normal	±0	26 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 Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT, the water level was 8.49 ft. Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls rising or falling?

Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls?

The highest level on record is 34.97 ft on July 31, 2020.

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:07182000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.38768, -96.59732 (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	8.49 ft	2026-10-21 10:00	Provisional
Flow	255 cfs	2026-10-21 10:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cottonwood River at Cottonwood Falls (usgs:07182000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/cottonwood-river-at-cottonwood-falls

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