Chattahoochee River near Fairburn water level

Name: Chattahoochee River near Fairburn 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, Chattahoochee River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.29ft Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 PM EDT (47 min ago)

Flow: 1,210 cfs
Water temperature: 63 °F

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Chattahoochee River near Fairburn: the gauge reads 0.29 ft, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.84 ft below the median of 1.13 ft for mid-October, based on 37 years of readings. It is 19.71 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 1.28 ft (−0.99 ft).

It is still going down, by 0.11 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.28 ft – 4.58 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 63 °F.

Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.13 ft0.84 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.28 ft – 4.52 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (37 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.28 ft−0.99 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.28 ft – 4.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.16 ft – 12.24 ft
Highest on record: 31.60 ftDecember 10, 1919

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 20.00 ft.

What happens at each level

32.00 ft: Record and widespread inundation flooding occurs in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92. Cochran Road will be under water up to 9 feet deep. The water level will be hitting the bridge and county officials will have it closed. The USGS gage house under the bridge will be under water with a loss of data transmission. Several farm buildings and the main highway on the Douglas County side of the river will be flooded.
31.00 ft: Major flooding continues widespread inundation flooding occurring in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92. Most of Cochran Road will be under 1 to 8 feet of water. The water level will be hitting the bottom of the bridge and county officials will have it closed. The flood waters will hit the USGS gage house under the bridge with a loss of data transmission. Several farm buildings on the Douglas County side of the river will begin to flood.
30.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding will occur in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92. Most of Cochran Road on the left bank upstream from the gage will be under one to six feet of water. The water level will be reaching the bottom of the bridge and county officials will likely have it closed. The flood waters will impact the USGS gage house under the bridge with a possible loss of data transmission.
29.00 ft: Significant flooding expands further into the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92. Large portions of Cochran Road on the left bank upstream from the gage will be under one to four feet of water.
27.00 ft: Significant flooding continues in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92. Portions of Cochran Road on the left bank upstream from the gage will be under one to two feet of water.
25.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92. Low portions of Cochran Road begin to flood on the left bank upstream from the gage.
24.00 ft: Minor flooding expands further into the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92.
22.00 ft: Minor flooding continues in the woodlands and fields in the natural flood plain upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92.
20.00 ft: Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding occurs of the woodlands and fields in the natural flood plain upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92.
17.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 154 or 92.
0.29 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	31.60 ft	December 10, 1919
2	30.65 ft	September 23, 2009
3	25.96 ft	July 12, 2005
4	25.74 ft	March 17, 1990
5	25.18 ft	April 14, 1979
6	24.15 ft	September 28, 2024
7	24.09 ft	March 16, 1976
8	23.56 ft	January 11, 1972
9	21.56 ft	November 12, 2009
10	21.22 ft	December 29, 2018

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 76° 41° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 75° 45° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 76° 48° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 75° 56° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 73° 55° – Wind 11 mph

25 Sun 73° 54° – Wind 11 mph

26 Mon 73° 54° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:48 AM Sunset 07:00 PM Daylight 11 hr, 12 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Chattahoochee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam, near BufordRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	−0.58 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	49 mi
Chattahoochee River near BufordRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	5.66 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	46 mi
Chattahoochee River near NorcrossRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	1.94 ft	Very low	+0.10 ft	36 mi
Chattahoochee River above RoswellRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	3.06 ft	Low	+0.38 ft	31 mi
Chattahoochee River at Morgan Falls DamReservoir, Chattahoochee River	864.51 ft	Low	−0.35 ft	27 mi
Chattahoochee River below Morgan Falls DamRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	811.30 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	27 mi
Chattahoochee River at US 41, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	4.30 ft	Low	−0.06 ft	19 mi
Chattahoochee River at AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.95 ft	Low	−0.09 ft	19 mi
Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	4.26 ft	Low	−0.08 ft	16 mi
Chattahoochee River above Bear Creek, near RicoRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	0.54 ft	Very low	−0.14 ft	5.7 mi
Chattahoochee River near WhitesburgRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.95 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	18 mi
Chattahoochee River at GA 100, at FranklinRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	7.99 ft	Low	+0.02 ft	36 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sweetwater Creek below AustellRiver gauge, Sweetwater Creek	0.85 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	5.6 mi
Dog River at GA 5, near FairplayRiver gauge, Dog River	3.21 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	8 mi
Utoy Creek at Great Southwest Pkwy near AtlantaRiver gauge, Utoy Creek	2.50 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	9 mi
Sweetwater Creek near AustellRiver gauge, Sweetwater Creek	0.91 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	9 mi
Sweetwater Creek 0.05 Mi Us Rr Bridge at AustellRiver gauge, Sweetwater Creek 0.05 Mi Us Rr Bridge	5.29 ft	Normal	±0	11 mi
Sweetwater Creek, Brownsville Road, Powder SpringsRiver gauge	2.96 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	12 mi
Olley Creek at Clay Road, near AustellRiver gauge, Olley Creek	2.50 ft	High	+0.02 ft	13 mi
Nickajack Creek at US 78/278, near MabletonRiver gauge, Nickajack Creek	1.07 ft	Very low	±0	13 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Chattahoochee River near Fairburn compare with last year?

It is 0.99 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.28 ft.

What is flood stage for the Chattahoochee River near Fairburn?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 19.71 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Chattahoochee River near Fairburn in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.13 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.28 ft and 4.52 ft, based on 37 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 Chattahoochee River near Fairburn today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 PM EDT, the water level was 0.29 ft. Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Chattahoochee River near Fairburn rising or falling?

Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.75 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Chattahoochee River near Fairburn normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 37 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:02337170 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.65667, -84.67361 (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	0.29 ft	2026-10-20 21:30	Provisional
Flow	1,210 cfs	2026-10-20 21:30	Provisional
Water temperature	63 °F	2026-10-20 21:45	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/11727?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Chattahoochee River near Fairburn water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Chattahoochee River near Fairburn (usgs:02337170). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/chattahoochee-river-near-fairburn

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