Santee River near Jamestown water level

Name: Santee River near Jamestown 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, Santee River, South Carolina, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

3.15ft Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 493 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Santee River near Jamestown reads 3.15 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 0.02 ft above the median of 3.13 ft for mid-October, based on 28 years of readings. It is 6.85 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.15 ft as well.

The level is falling, down 0.26 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.86 ft and 3.90 ft.

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

Compared with 28 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.13 ft0.02 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.31 ft – 14.08 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (28 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.15 ft0.00 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.86 ft – 3.90 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.52 ft – 6.82 ft
Highest on record: 33.00 ftJuly 26, 1916

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 10.00 ft, still 6.85 ft away.

What happens at each level

24.00 ft: water will start to enter the lower level of the home at the end of Lawton Farm Lane.
22.00 ft: water will surround the residence at the end of Crow Hill Drive and portions of the road will be covered with water due to backwater effects. The lower three quarters of a mile of Corner Loop Road is flooded and a few homes will be impacted. Water will restrict access to Belleflower Way and Belladonna Court and approach a few homes in the Belleflower Plantation subdivision. The residence at the end of Lawton Farm Lane is also surrounded by water and the lower portion of Old Gate Lane is covered by water.
19.00 ft: the lower quarter mile of Lawton Farm Lane is impassable.
18.00 ft: the boat landing at the end of Santee Landing Road will be inaccessible. The lower half mile of Corner Loop Road will be impassable due to backwater effects from Pole Branch Creek. Water covers the lower quarter mile of Lawton Farm Lane.
17.00 ft: the lower half mile of Harris Landing Road is flooded and impassable and the residence at the end of the road is flooded. Lenuds Ferry boat landing at Highway 41 is inaccessible and the parking lot is flooded.
16.00 ft: water surrounds the residence at the end of Harris Landing Road and the adjacent boat ramp is inaccessible.
12.00 ft: several dirt logging roads are impassable.
10.00 ft: water covers numerous logging roads and inundates timber land adjacent to the river. Most access points to Wee Tee State Forest are cut off.
3.15 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 61 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	33.00 ft	July 26, 1916
2	32.00 ft	April 15, 1936
3	30.00 ft	August 26, 1928
4	29.80 ft	October 10, 1929
5	23.94 ft	October 5, 2024
6	23.37 ft	February 14, 2020
7	22.84 ft	March 28, 2003
8	22.82 ft	January 6, 2016
9	22.80 ft	September 26, 1945
10	22.13 ft	October 10, 2015

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 74° 44° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 72° 48° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 73° 48° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 72° 49° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 71° 53° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 74° 52° – Wind 12 mph

26 Mon 76° 56° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:41 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Santee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Santee River at Lake Marion Tailrace near PinevilleRiver gauge, Santee River	27.55 ft	Normal	±0	30 mi
Santee River near PinevilleRiver gauge, Santee River	643 cfs	Normal	+9.0 cfs	29 mi
Santee River near RussellvilleRiver gauge, Santee River	9.79 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	21 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rediv Canal at Santee River near St StephenRiver gauge, Rediv Canal	7.39 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	16 mi
South Santee River near McClellanvilleEstuary gauge, South Santee River	11.62 ft	Very high	+0.36 ft	18 mi
Lake Moultrie Tailrace Canal at Moncks CornerRiver gauge, Lake Moultrie Tailrace Canal	7.89 ft	Very high	−0.49 ft	18 mi
North Santee River near North SanteeEstuary gauge, North Santee River	7.46 ft	Very high	+0.21 ft	18 mi
Lake Moultrie Tailrace near PinopolisLake, Lake Moultrie Tailrace	9.01 ft	Very high	−0.20 ft	19 mi
Lake Moultrie near PinopolisLake, Lake Moultrie	72.80 ft	Very low	+0.10 ft	19 mi
Lake Moultrie at Rediversion near RussellvilleLake, Lake Moultrie	70.48 ft	Very low	+0.14 ft	20 mi
Turkey Creek near MaryvilleRiver gauge, Turkey Creek	1.21 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	20 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Santee River near Jamestown compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 3.15 ft.

What is flood stage for the Santee River near Jamestown?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 6.85 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Santee River near Jamestown in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.13 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.31 ft and 14.08 ft, based on 28 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 Santee River near Jamestown today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 PM EDT, the water level was 3.15 ft. Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Santee River near Jamestown rising or falling?

Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.41 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Santee River near Jamestown normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 28 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02171700 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.30489, -79.67813 (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	3.15 ft	2026-10-20 21:30	Provisional
Flow	493 cfs	2026-10-20 19:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Santee River near Jamestown (usgs:02171700). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-carolina/santee-river-near-jamestown

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