Saline River at Benton water level

Name: Saline River at Benton 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, Saline River, Arkansas, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.12ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT (23 min ago)

Flow: 14.2 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.10 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:32 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Saline River at Benton is at 3.12 ft, in the normal range.

It is 14.88 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.10 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM. In the last month it has stayed between 3.08 ft and 3.12 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 29.27 ftSeptember 4, 2008
Forecast peak: 3.10 ftSunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Saline River at Benton

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

Flood stage here is 18.00 ft, 14.88 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

30.00 ft: Flood of record, 30.5 feet in April 1st 1927.
29.00 ft: Flood of September 4th 2008 from the rainfall of Hurricane Gustav crested at 29.27 feet. Expect similar impacts. Homes along the lower end of River Street and Side Streets and also the manufactured home subdivision along Henry Street flooded.
28.00 ft: Homes may be flooded on River Street and the side streets. The manufactured home subdivision along Henry Street is flooding. River reached 29.3 feet in September 2008 from Hurricane Gustav rainfall.
26.00 ft: Serious flooding begins at this level, there will be problems in the industrial area, near the airport, and along the water supply impoundment downstream of Interstate 30 and the nearby manufactured home subdivision. Watch for flooding of low lying roads.
24.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins at this level. River Street in Southwest Benton may be flooded by backwater up Willow Depot Creek, especially if there is heavy rain in the Benton area during the high river level. Also, possible flooding up McNeil and Salt Creeks.
22.00 ft: Commercial and industrial facilities in the flood plain along the left bank may be affected. Water is deep in the pastures along the west bank.
20.00 ft: Pastures along west bank will flood. There may be some low lying county roads near the river flooding.
18.00 ft: Minor flooding begins at 18 feet, flooding of low lying pastures along the west bank.
3.12 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	29.27 ft	September 4, 2008
2	27.63 ft	December 25, 2009
3	26.62 ft	March 8, 1990
4	26.50 ft	May 14, 1968
5	26.40 ft	April 6, 2025
6	26.37 ft	December 4, 1982
7	26.14 ft	April 22, 1974
8	25.28 ft	December 4, 1952
9	24.93 ft	October 19, 1984
10	24.67 ft	November 19, 1988

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:19 AM Sunset 06:33 PM Daylight 11 hr, 14 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Saline River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Saline River near DierksRiver gauge, Saline River	3.50 ft	Below flood stage	±0	90 mi
Saline River near LockesburgRiver gauge, Saline River	2.73 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	93 mi
Saline River near ShawRiver gauge, Saline River	7.63 ft	No reference yet	+0.06 ft	5.2 mi
Saline River near SheridanRiver gauge, Saline River	17.2 cfs	Very low	−0.7 cfs	33 mi
Saline River near RyeRiver gauge, Saline River	4.06 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	69 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Fourche Creek at Univ. Avenue at Little RockRiver gauge, Fourche Creek	0.0 cfs	Very low	−0.2 cfs	18 mi
Rock Creek at 36th Street at Little RockRiver gauge, Rock Creek	0.3 cfs	Very low	−0.5 cfs	18 mi
Ouachita River at Remmel Dam above Jones MillRiver gauge, Ouachita River	2.61 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	19 mi
Alum Fork Saline River at Winona Dam at ReformReservoir, Alum Fork Saline River	27.47 ft	Very low	−0.09 ft	21 mi
Arkansas River at Murray Dam near Little RockRiver gauge, Arkansas River	474 cfs	Very low	±0	21 mi
Maumelle River below Bringle Creek near WyeRiver gauge, Maumelle River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	22 mi
Maumelle River near WyeRiver gauge, Maumelle River	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	22 mi
Bringle Creek at MartindaleRiver gauge, Bringle Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	22 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Saline River at Benton?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 14.88 ft below it.

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 Saline River at Benton today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT, the water level was 3.12 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Saline River at Benton rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Saline River at Benton normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Saline River at Benton?

The highest level on record is 29.27 ft on September 4, 2008.

Is Saline River at Benton expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.10 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07363000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.56778, -92.61028 (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	3.12 ft	2026-10-18 21:30	Provisional
Flow	14.2 cfs	2026-10-18 21:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Saline River at Benton (usgs:07363000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arkansas/saline-river-at-benton

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