North Oconee River at College St, at Athens water level

Name: North Oconee River at College St, at Athens 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, North Oconee River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.57ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 41.5 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.30 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 02:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 08:38 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

At 3.57 ft, the North Oconee River at College St, at Athens is below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.77 ft below the median of 4.34 ft for mid-October, based on 24 years of readings. It is 15.43 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.78 ft (−0.21 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.30 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 02:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.38 ft and 5.18 ft.

Compared with 24 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.34 ft0.77 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.54 ft – 5.16 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (24 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.78 ft−0.21 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.38 ft – 5.18 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.34 ft – 6.78 ft
Highest on record: 19.40 ftMay 27, 1966
Forecast peak: 3.50 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 PM

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 19.00 ft, still 15.43 ft away.

What happens at each level

30.60 ft: Solid Waste Department floods just west of College Avenue Bridge.
27.20 ft: Apartments downstream of College Avenue Bridge flood.
25.60 ft: College Avenue Bridge floods.
24.10 ft: This was the record crest of the North Oconee at Athens May 27... 1966. Widespread flooding occurs to roads and homes.
23.70 ft: Intersection of College Avenue and MLK floods.
23.50 ft: Greenway Parking lot starts flooding.
23.20 ft: Significant flooding of MLK begins.
23.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Extensive damage occurs to homes and mobile homes located in the flood plain of the river. Many roads and highways will be flooded as well as the failure of small dams in the area.
22.00 ft: Significant flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage on College Avenue. The North Oconee River Greenway parking lots will be under two feet of water. Portions of North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 4 feet of water. The flood waters will be hitting the North Avenue and East Broad Street bridges with possible erosion. County officials will likely have them closed.
20.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on College Avenue. The North Oconee River Greenway parking lots will begin to flood. Portions of North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 4 feet of water. The flood waters will be hitting the East Broad Street bridges with possible erosion. County officials will likely have them closed.
19.00 ft: Flood stage is reached in the woodlands upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 9 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. Portions of the North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 3 feet of water. The flood waters will reach the bottom of the East Broad Street vehicular and pedestrian bridges. County officials may close them.
18.00 ft: Bankfull conditions expand much further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 8 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. The water will be around three feet deep over several manhole covers of the storm sewer system. Portions of the North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under two feet of water.
3.57 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	19.40 ft	May 27, 1966
2	18.90 ft	April 20, 2019
3	16.86 ft	March 21, 2003
4	16.78 ft	February 7, 2020

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 75° 39° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 75° 45° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 78° 49° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 74° 49° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 70° 48° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 72° 46° – Wind 10 mph

26 Mon 74° 46° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:55 PM Daylight 11 hr, 12 min Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the North Oconee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
North Oconee River at Woodbridge Road, near CommerceRiver gauge, North Oconee River	1.64 ft	Low	±0	18 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Middle Oconee River near AthensRiver gauge, Middle Oconee River	0.93 ft	Low	±0	3.0 mi
Middle Oconee River near ArcadeRiver gauge, Middle Oconee River	2.13 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	11 mi
Apalachee River near BostwickRiver gauge, Apalachee River	1.44 ft	Low	±0	14 mi
Parks Creek at Lyle Field Road near JeffersonRiver gauge, Parks Creek	3.03 ft	Normal	+0.07 ft	16 mi
Oconee River near PenfieldRiver gauge, Oconee River	2.85 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	18 mi
Mulberry Creek near WinderRiver gauge, Mulberry Creek	−1.83 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	20 mi
Grove Creek at US 441 and GA 15 near CommerceRiver gauge, Grove Creek	6.57 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	21 mi
Broad River above CarltonRiver gauge, Broad River	0.71 ft	Very low	±0	23 mi

Questions and answers

How does the North Oconee River at College St, at Athens compare with last year?

It is 0.21 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.78 ft.

What is flood stage for the North Oconee River at College St, at Athens?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 15.43 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the North Oconee River at College St, at Athens in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.34 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.54 ft and 5.16 ft, based on 24 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 North Oconee River at College St, at Athens today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT, the water level was 3.57 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is North Oconee River at College St, at Athens rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 1.06 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of North Oconee River at College St, at Athens normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 24 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:02217770 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.96972, -83.37758 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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	3.57 ft	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional
Flow	41.5 cfs	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: North Oconee River at College St, at Athens (usgs:02217770). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/north-oconee-river-at-college-st-at-athens

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