Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster water level

Name: Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster 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, Foster Dam Tailwater, Oregon, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

526.07ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 16, 2026, 08:30 AM PDT (2 days ago)

History

Not enough readings for a chart yet. History builds up with every update.

What this means

The Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster is at 526.07 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 0.19 ft above the median of 525.89 ft for mid-October, based on 12 years of readings.

It has dropped 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours.

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

Compared with 12 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 525.89 ft0.19 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 525.50 ft – 528.34 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (12 years of records)

Floating and fishing near Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 63° 39° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 63° 46° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 68° 44° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 73° 49° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 64° 41° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 60° 36° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 64° 38° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 52%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Santiam River near FosterRiver gauge, South Santiam River	1,140 cfs	Low	±0	0.9 mi
Wiley Creek near FosterRiver gauge, Wiley Creek	6.9 cfs	Low	+0.3 cfs	3.8 mi
Middle Santiam River below Green Peter Dam near FosterRiver gauge, Middle Santiam River	700.58 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	6 mi
Green Peter Dam Tailwater near FosterRiver gauge, Green Peter Dam Tailwater	696.64 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	6 mi
South Santiam River below CascadiaRiver gauge, South Santiam River	30.8 cfs	Very low	±0	9 mi
South Santiam River at WaterlooRiver gauge, South Santiam River	3.13 ft	Below flood stage	±0	9 mi
Lebanon Santiam Canal near LebanonCanal gauge, Lebanon Santiam Canal	75.0 cfs	Normal	±0	12 mi
Quartzville Creek near CascadiaRiver gauge, Quartzville Creek	15.2 cfs	Very low	±0	14 mi

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 525.89 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 525.50 ft and 528.34 ft, based on 12 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 Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster today?

On Oct 16, 2026, 08:30 AM PDT, the water level was 526.07 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 12 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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:14186610 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.41479, -122.67136 (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	526.07 ft	2026-10-16 15:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Foster Dam Tailwater at Foster (usgs:14186610). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oregon/foster-dam-tailwater-at-foster

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