Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton water level

Name: Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near 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, Big Muddy River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Water level

7.54ft Up 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 07:30 PM CDT (39 min ago)

Flow: 45.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The latest river stage reported for Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton is 7.54 ft. The agency publishes no normal range or warning level for this river yet, so there is nothing to judge the number against.

The water is rising: up 0.13 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 7.38 ft and 7.58 ft.

Over the past seven days the change adds up to +0.05 ft.

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only. How to read levels

What the stage means on the water

With no published normal range, paddlers and anglers should go by the trend: a rising river usually means muddier, faster water.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:11 AM Sunset 06:11 PM Daylight 11 hr, 1 min Waxing gibbous 73%

Map

Other gauges on the Big Muddy River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Muddy River at PlumfieldRiver gauge, Big Muddy River	2.44 ft	Very low	−0.09 ft	10 mi
Big Muddy River at Rte 127 at MurphysboroRiver gauge, Big Muddy River	3.38 ft	Low	+0.09 ft	27 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rayse Creek near WaltonvilleRiver gauge, Rayse Creek	1.20 ft	Normal	±0	16 mi
Casey Fork at Mount VernonRiver gauge, Casey Fork	1.60 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	19 mi
Crab Orchard Creek near MarionRiver gauge, Crab Orchard Creek	0.64 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	21 mi
Skillet Fork at Wayne CityRiver gauge, Skillet Fork	4.26 ft	Very low	+0.09 ft	31 mi
South Fork Saline River near Carrier MillsRiver gauge, South Fork Saline River	2.21 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	31 mi
Middle Fork Saline River near HarrisburgRiver gauge, Middle Fork Saline River	8.95 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	32 mi
Little Crooked Creek near New MindenRiver gauge, Little Crooked Creek	4.91 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	38 mi
Lusk Creek near EddyvilleRiver gauge, Lusk Creek	1.87 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	44 mi

Questions and answers

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 Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 07:30 PM CDT, the water level was 7.54 ft. Up 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton rising or falling?

Up 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.05 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton normal?

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only.

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:05595952 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.02703, -88.96056 (WGS84)
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	7.54 ft	2026-10-21 00:30	Provisional
Flow	45.4 cfs	2026-10-21 00:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Big Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton (usgs:05595952). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/big-muddy-river-below-rend-lake-near-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