Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara water level

Name: Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Reservoir, Santa Ynez River, California, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Surface elevation

1,384.62ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:00 AM PDT (30 min ago)

Water stored: 1,156 acre‑ft

History

7 days

Surface elevation

What this means

The latest lake level at Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara is 1,384.62 ft. The agency publishes no normal range or warning level for this reservoir yet, so there is nothing to judge the number against.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1,384.59 ft and 1,384.70 ft.

Over the past seven days the change adds up to −0.06 ft.

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

Swimming and boating at Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara

Without a published normal range, the trend is the most useful thing here: a steady lake means few changes at the shore.

If you swim, pick a spot with an easy way out, and remember that drop-offs move as the level changes.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 62° 53° 1.54 in, 92% Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 59° 51° 0.06 in, 57% Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 66° 51° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 72° 53° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 76° 58° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 79° 61° – Wind 7 mph

27 Tue 78° 61° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:10 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Santa Ynez River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa BarbaraRiver gauge, Santa Ynez River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	0.1 mi
Santa Ynez River below Los Laurls Canyon near Snta YnezRiver gauge, Santa Ynez River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	10 mi
Santa Ynez River near Santa YnezRiver gauge, Santa Ynez River	6.53 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	18 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Gibraltar Dam Diversion Weir A Gibraltar DamRiver gauge	0.2 cfs	Low	±0	0.1 mi
Mission Creek near Mission St near Santa BarbaraRiver gauge, Mission Creek	3.45 ft	Below flood stage	±0	7 mi
Mission Creek below W Gutierrez St Branch A Santa BarbaraRiver gauge, Mission Creek	10.26 ft	Below flood stage	±0	8 mi
San Jose Creek near GoletaRiver gauge, San Jose Creek	0.3 cfs	High	±0	8 mi
San Pedro C A GoletaRiver gauge	0.1 cfs	Normal	−0.2 cfs	10 mi
Santa Cruz Creek near Santa YnezRiver gauge, Santa Cruz Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	14 mi
Carpinteria Creek near CarpinteriaRiver gauge, Carpinteria Creek	9.95 ft	Below flood stage	+0.75 ft	14 mi
Cachuma Lake and BradburyReservoir	742.34 ft	High		17 mi

Questions and answers

Is Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara really 1,384.62 ft deep?

No. 1,384.62 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:00 AM PDT, the surface elevation was 1,384.62 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.06 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara 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:11122000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.52610, -119.68649 (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
Surface elevation	1,384.62 ft	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional
Water stored	1,156 acre‑ft	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara (usgs:11122000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/santa-ynez-river-above-gibraltar-dam-near-santa-barbara

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