Ouachita River at Sterlington water level

Name: Ouachita River at Sterlington 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, Ouachita River, Louisiana, United States

Directions

Very low for late October

Water level

50.04ft Up 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 04:30 AM CDT (39 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

Low water at Ouachita River at Sterlington: the gauge reads 50.04 ft, far below normal for late October.

That puts it 3.29 ft below the median of 53.33 ft for late October, based on 9 years of readings.

It is on the way up, by 0.12 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 49.86 ft – 50.19 ft.

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

Compared with 9 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 53.33 ft3.29 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 52.60 ft – 74.91 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (9 years of records)

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 77° 42° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 81° 48° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 85° 50° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 85° 56° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 83° 55° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 81° 53° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 82° 56° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:18 AM Sunset 06:30 PM Daylight 11 hr, 12 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Ouachita River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ouachita River at Remmel Dam above Jones MillRiver gauge, Ouachita River	2.83 ft	Normal	±0	128 mi
Ouachita River at CamdenRiver gauge, Ouachita River	5.69 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	75 mi
Ouachita River at Felsenthal L&D (lower)River gauge, Ouachita River	49.55 ft	Very low	+0.10 ft	25 mi
Ouachita River at West MonroeRiver gauge, Ouachita River	18.27 ft	Very low	+0.09 ft	14 mi
Ouachita River at Hwy 8 at HarrisonburgRiver gauge, Ouachita River	15.12 ft	No reference yet	−0.13 ft	66 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chauvin Bayou near MonroeRiver gauge, Chauvin Bayou	31.12 ft	Normal	±0	9 mi
Bayou DeSiard at NE Drive at MonroeRiver gauge, Bayou DeSiard	6.93 ft	Very low	−0.13 ft	12 mi
Bayou Darbonne Lake at Dam near DownsvilleReservoir, Bayou Darbonne Lake	78.84 ft	Below flood stage	±0	15 mi
Youngs Bayou near MonroeRiver gauge, Youngs Bayou	1.35 ft	Normal	+0.42 ft	16 mi
Bayou Lafourche near Crew LakeRiver gauge, Bayou Lafourche	−0.26 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Bayou Lafourche near AltoRiver gauge, Bayou Lafourche	35.21 ft	Normal	−0.10 ft	21 mi
Boeuf River near GirardRiver gauge, Boeuf River	6.21 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	22 mi
Chemin-A-Haut Bayou near BeekmanRiver gauge, Chemin-A-Haut Bayou	6.44 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	26 mi

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Ouachita River at Sterlington in late October?

The median for late October is 53.33 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 52.60 ft and 74.91 ft, based on 9 years of records.

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 Ouachita River at Sterlington today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 04:30 AM CDT, the water level was 50.04 ft. Up 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Ouachita River at Sterlington rising or falling?

Up 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.09 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Ouachita River at Sterlington normal?

Very low for late October. Compared with 9 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:07364535 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.69625, -92.08680 (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	50.04 ft	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/9800?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Ouachita River at Sterlington water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ouachita River at Sterlington (usgs:07364535). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/louisiana/ouachita-river-at-sterlington

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