Elk River below Elk City Lake water level

Name: Elk River below Elk City Lake 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, Elk River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

5.01ft Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT (45 min ago)

Flow: 4.8 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 5.01 ft, the Elk River below Elk City Lake is below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 5.01 ft and 5.41 ft.

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

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 5.55 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 36° – Wind 5 mph

18 Sun 62° 42° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 70° 41° – Wind 13 mph

20 Tue 73° 55° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 76° 54° – Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 80° 58° – Wind 12 mph

23 Fri 79° 60° – Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:42 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Elk River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elk River at Elk FallsRiver gauge, Elk River	2.06 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	25 mi
Elk River near Elk CityRiver gauge, Elk River	12.60 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	8 mi
Elk River at MO-59, NoelRiver gauge, Elk River	5.31 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	86 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Verdigris River at IndependenceRiver gauge, Verdigris River	1.56 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	5.5 mi
Fall River at FredoniaRiver gauge, Fall River	3.00 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	17 mi
Verdigris River near AltoonaRiver gauge, Verdigris River	3.41 ft	Normal	±0	18 mi
Verdigris River at CoffeyvilleRiver gauge, Verdigris River	2.87 ft	Normal	−0.11 ft	21 mi
Verdigris River near LenapahRiver gauge, Verdigris River	3.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.25 ft	31 mi
Labette Creek near OswegoRiver gauge, Labette Creek	5.73 ft	Normal	−0.13 ft	31 mi
Neosho River near ErieRiver gauge, Neosho River	14.38 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	33 mi
Neosho River near ParsonsRiver gauge, Neosho River	10.23 ft	High	+0.50 ft	36 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 Elk River below Elk City Lake today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT, the water level was 5.01 ft. Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Elk River below Elk City Lake rising or falling?

Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Elk River below Elk City Lake normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 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:07170060 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.27692, -95.75227 (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	5.01 ft	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional
Flow	4.8 cfs	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Elk River below Elk City Lake (usgs:07170060). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/elk-river-below-elk-city-lake

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