Pen Branch at Columbia water level

Name: Pen Branch at Columbia 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, Pen Branch, South Carolina, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Water level

0.62ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 04:15 AM EDT (44 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The latest river stage reported for Pen Branch at Columbia is 0.62 ft. 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. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.61 ft and 1.52 ft.

Over the past seven days the change adds up to −0.02 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: 0.61 ft – 1.52 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.61 ft – 1.63 ft
Highest on record: 8.11 ftSeptember 26, 2024

What the stage means on the water

With no published normal range, paddlers and anglers should go by the trend: a rising river usually means muddier, faster water.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	8.11 ft	September 26, 2024
2	7.77 ft	July 23, 2023
3	7.59 ft	June 27, 2023
4	7.55 ft	May 21, 2022
5	7.14 ft	July 24, 2024
6	6.98 ft	June 16, 2022
7	6.74 ft	September 17, 2023
8	6.69 ft	July 18, 2022
9	6.42 ft	August 18, 2024
10	6.40 ft	June 30, 2024

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 74° 44° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 76° 46° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 73° 53° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 72° 52° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 72° 52° – Wind 13 mph

26 Mon 74° 52° – Wind 8 mph

27 Tue 76° 54° – Wind 2 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:44 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Gills Creek at ColumbiaRiver gauge, Gills Creek	0.89 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	1.7 mi
Rocky Branch at Pickens St at ColumbiaRiver gauge, Rocky Branch	2.67 ft	Low	±0	2.7 mi
Rocky Branch at Whaley St at ColumbiaRiver gauge, Rocky Branch	1.10 ft	Normal	±0	3.1 mi
Smith Branch at North Main St at ColumbiaRiver gauge, Smith Branch	0.40 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	3.6 mi
Congaree River at ColumbiaRiver gauge, Congaree River	3.49 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	4.1 mi
Broad River near ColumbiaRiver gauge, Broad River	154.09 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	5.8 mi
Saluda River near ColumbiaRiver gauge, Saluda River	3.26 ft	Normal	±0	6.1 mi
Congaree Creek at South CongareeRiver gauge, Congaree Creek	2.72 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	11 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 Pen Branch at Columbia today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 04:15 AM EDT, the water level was 0.62 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Pen Branch at Columbia rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Pen Branch at Columbia normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Pen Branch at Columbia?

The highest level on record is 8.11 ft on September 26, 2024.

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:02169568 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.01293, -80.98203 (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	0.62 ft	2026-10-21 08:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Pen Branch at Columbia (usgs:02169568). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-carolina/pen-branch-at-columbia

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