Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater water level

Name: Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater 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, Old Catawba River, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Water level

1.28ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 05:45 AM EDT (39 min ago)

Flow: 38.7 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year

Water level

What this means

The Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater reads 1.28 ft as of Oct 21, 2026, 05:45 AM EDT. The agency publishes no normal range or warning level for this river yet, so there is nothing to judge the number against.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.27 ft and 4.77 ft.

Over the past seven days the change adds up to −0.10 ft.

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only. How to read levels

Key numbers

Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.27 ft – 4.77 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.82 ft – 4.77 ft

Floating and fishing near Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater

Use the recent trend as your guide, and ask locally which gage height makes for a good float.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Catawba River at Sr1223 below Lake James near BridgewaterRiver gauge, Catawba River	4.07 ft	High	−0.01 ft	3.0 mi
Linville River near NeboRiver gauge, Linville River	2.13 ft	Very high	−0.07 ft	4.2 mi
Catawba River near Pleasant GardensRiver gauge, Catawba River	1.81 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	10 mi
Johns River at Arneys StoreRiver gauge, Johns River	2.38 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	12 mi
South Toe River near CeloRiver gauge, South Toe River	0.92 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	18 mi
First Broad River near CasarRiver gauge, First Broad River	0.57 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	20 mi
Jacob Fork at RamseyRiver gauge, Jacob Fork	1.78 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	21 mi
Second Broad River near LoganRiver gauge, Second Broad River	1.81 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	23 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 Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 05:45 AM EDT, the water level was 1.28 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.10 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater normal?

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only.

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:02138816 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.73449, -81.88738 (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	1.28 ft	2026-10-21 09:45	Provisional
Flow	38.7 cfs	2026-10-21 09:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater (usgs:02138816). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/old-catawba-river-below-catawba-dam-near-bridgewater

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