Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville water level

Name: Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville 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, Shoal Creek, Georgia, United States

Directions

Very low for late October

Water level

1.08ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 01:30 AM EDT (56 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville is running far below normal at 1.08 ft.

That puts it 0.77 ft below the median of 1.85 ft for late October, based on 15 years of readings. It is 9.92 ft below the flood stage of 11.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 1.15 ft (−0.07 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 1.00 ft and 1.97 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.85 ft0.77 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.30 ft – 2.24 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (15 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.15 ft−0.07 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.00 ft – 1.97 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.00 ft – 2.19 ft
Highest on record: 13.12 ftSeptember 21, 2009

Floating and fishing near Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 11.00 ft, 9.92 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

17.00 ft: Major flooding begins. The section of Paper Mill Road above the culvert will likely have severe erosion. The water level reaches the bottom of the USGS river gauge house just downstream on the left bank.
14.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. The water level begins to cover Paper Mill Road at the bridge.
12.00 ft: The Paper Mill Road bed on top of the concrete culvert begins to form an obstacle and act like a dam causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridge.
11.00 ft: Minor flooding begins of the natural flood plain. The water level reaches the top of the concrete culvert under Paper Mill Road.
9.00 ft: Bankfull is reached upstream and downstream from the river gauge at Paper Mill Road.
1.08 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	13.12 ft	September 21, 2009
2	11.11 ft	January 25, 2010

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 74° 44° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 76° 47° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 73° 47° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 71° 45° – Wind 11 mph

25 Sun 70° 45° – Wind 12 mph

26 Mon 72° 43° – Wind 7 mph

27 Tue 74° 47° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 06:56 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on Shoal Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Shoal Creek at Columbia Drive near AtlantaRiver gauge, Shoal Creek	3.60 ft	Normal	±0	25 mi
Shoal Creek at Shoal Creek Road, near GriffinRiver gauge, Shoal Creek	0.65 ft	Normal	±0	53 mi
Shoal Creek at Ga54, near SharpsburgRiver gauge, Shoal Creek	2.39 ft	Very high	±0	55 mi
Shoal Creek at GA 108, near WaleskaRiver gauge, Shoal Creek	2.10 ft	Very low	+0.02 ft	43 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Alcovy River near LawrencevilleRiver gauge, Alcovy River	−0.45 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	2.1 mi
Alcovy River at New Hope Road, near GraysonRiver gauge, Alcovy River	2.04 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	4.1 mi
Wildcat Creek near LawrencevilleRiver gauge, Wildcat Creek	0.82 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	4.9 mi
Apalachee River at Fence Road, near DaculaRiver gauge, Apalachee River	0.32 ft	Normal	±0	5.2 mi
Pew Creek at Patterson Road, near LawrencevilleRiver gauge, Pew Creek	3.12 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	5.4 mi
Yellow R Tributary at Plantation Road, near LawrencevilleRiver gauge, Yellow R Tributary	−0.55 ft	Low	±0	6.2 mi
Wolf Creek Tributary at Dean Road, near SuwaneeRiver gauge, Wolf Creek Tributary	1.88 ft	Normal	±0	7 mi
Yellow River near LuxomniRiver gauge, Yellow River	7.72 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	9 mi

Questions and answers

How does Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville compare with last year?

It is 0.07 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.15 ft.

What is flood stage for Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville?

The official flood stage is 11.00 ft. The level is currently 9.92 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville in late October?

The median for late October is 1.85 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.30 ft and 2.24 ft, based on 15 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 Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 01:30 AM EDT, the water level was 1.08 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville normal?

Very low for late October. Compared with 15 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:02208130 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.94972, -83.94833 (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	1.08 ft	2026-10-21 05:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Shoal Creek at Paper Mill Road, near Lawrenceville (usgs:02208130). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/shoal-creek-at-paper-mill-road-near-lawrenceville

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