South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta water level

Name: South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta 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, South River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

2.01ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT (46 min ago)

Flow: 28.8 cfs
Water temperature: 59 °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 South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta: the gauge reads 2.01 ft, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.24 ft below the median of 2.25 ft for mid-October, based on 14 years of readings. It is 10.99 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.01 ft as well.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly.

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 59 °F.

Compared with 14 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 2.25 ft0.24 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.82 ft – 3.13 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (14 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.01 ft0.00 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.88 ft – 5.16 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.88 ft – 5.42 ft
Highest on record: 21.42 ftSeptember 27, 2024

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 13.00 ft.

What happens at each level

25.00 ft: Major flooding begins with widespread inundation along the river. The Flakes Mill Road bridge forms an obstacle and acts like a dam causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridge. The service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility will be under water. The west and south sides of the property will be completely flooded with water spilling into the holding areas of the Inflow Channel. Some homes on Roundtable and English Valley Drives will begin to flood.
23.00 ft: Significant flooding expands further from the river. The Flakes Mill Road bridge begins to form an obstacle and act like a dam causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridge. The flood waters will cut off large portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. Parking lots and large portions of the west and south sides of the property will be completely flooded. Backyards of Roundtable and English Valley Drives will also be flooded.
21.00 ft: Significant flooding expands into the woodlands upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. The water level reaches the bottom of the bridge and county officials may close it. The flood waters will cut off portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. The parking lots south of the administration building on the property will be under two feet of water. Flooding in backyards of homes on Roundtable and English Valley Drives continues to deepen.
19.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding expands further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. The Chapel Park west of the gage will be completely flooded. The flood waters will cover low portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility...and affect the parking lots south of the administration building on the property. Flooding begins in backyards of homes on Roundtable and English Valley Drives.
17.00 ft: Minor flooding expands further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. Large portions of the Chapel Park west of the gage will be under 4 to 5 feet of water. The flood waters will approach low portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility.
15.00 ft: Minor flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. Large portions of the Chapel Park west of the gage will be under 2 to 3 feet of water.
13.00 ft: Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding will occur in the woodlands and natural flood plain of the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. Portions of the Chapel Park just west of the gage will begin to flood.
11.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached upstream and downstream from the gage at Flakes Mill Road near Chapel Park.
2.01 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	21.42 ft	September 27, 2024
2	21.30 ft	February 25, 1961
3	19.89 ft	March 16, 1976
4	18.25 ft	March 17, 1990
5	18.23 ft	December 25, 2015
6	17.17 ft	April 13, 1979
7	16.63 ft	October 11, 2020
8	16.35 ft	April 19, 2019
9	15.92 ft	March 6, 2024
10	15.58 ft	April 6, 1964

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:47 AM Sunset 06:57 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on the South River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South River at Springdale Road, at AtlantaRiver gauge, South River	2.17 ft	Very low	±0	11 mi
South River at Forrest Park Road, at AtlantaRiver gauge, South River	2.87 ft	Below flood stage	±0	8 mi
South River at Bouldercrest Road at AtlantaRiver gauge, South River	2.32 ft	Below flood stage	±0	4.9 mi
South River at Klondike Road, near LithoniaRiver gauge, South River	5.00 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	6.0 mi
South River at GA 81, at Snapping ShoalsRiver gauge, South River	6.81 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	20 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Shoal Creek at Columbia Drive near AtlantaRiver gauge, Shoal Creek	3.60 ft	Normal	±0	2.6 mi
Snapfinger Creek at Thompson Mill Road near LithoniaRiver gauge, Snapfinger Creek	3.28 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	2.6 mi
Cobbs Creek at Rainbow Drain, near DecaturRiver gauge, Cobbs Creek	1.58 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	3.1 mi
Pole Bridge Creek at Evans Mill Road near LithoniaRiver gauge, Pole Bridge Creek	1.08 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	4.2 mi
Doolittle Creek at Flat Shoals Road, near DecaturRiver gauge, Doolittle Creek	1.09 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	4.8 mi
Snapfinger Creek near DecaturRiver gauge, Snapfinger Creek	2.46 ft	Low	±0	7 mi
Swift Creek near LithoniaRiver gauge, Swift Creek	1.66 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	10 mi

Questions and answers

How does the South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 2.01 ft.

What is flood stage for the South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 10.99 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.25 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.82 ft and 3.13 ft, based on 14 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 South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT, the water level was 2.01 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.20 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 14 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:02203900 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.66578, -84.22400 (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	2.01 ft	2026-10-21 03:00	Provisional
Flow	28.8 cfs	2026-10-21 03:00	Provisional
Water temperature	59 °F	2026-10-21 03:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: South River at Flakes Mill Road near Atlanta (usgs:02203900). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/south-river-at-flakes-mill-road-near-atlanta

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