Colorado River near Ballinger water level

Name: Colorado River near Ballinger 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, Colorado River, Texas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

4.06ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT (45 min ago)

Flow: 0.9 cfs
Water temperature: 63 °F

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Colorado River near Ballinger: the gauge reads 4.06 ft, below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 4.27 ft, based on 27 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.21 ft below typical. It is 13.94 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 4.08 ft, a difference of −0.02 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The water temperature at the gauge is 63 °F.

Compared with 27 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.27 ft0.21 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.97 ft – 4.93 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (27 years of records)
Same day last year: 4.08 ft−0.02 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 4.01 ft – 4.13 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.99 ft – 11.14 ft
Highest on record: 27.78 ftSeptember 29, 2012

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

For reference, flood stage is 18.00 ft.

What happens at each level

24.00 ft: Major flooding will occur. Homes in northwest Ballinger will become flooded. Secondary roads and low water crossings will be impassible.
22.00 ft: Moderate flooding will occur to pasture land and oil fields. Fish farm equipment areas and storage buildings will be flooded. Secondary roads and low water crossings will be impassible.
21.00 ft: Moderate flooding of pasture land and fish farm equipment areas will occur. Secondary roads and low water crossings may be flooded.
18.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding of pasture land will occur.
4.06 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	27.78 ft	September 29, 2012
2	27.50 ft	September 21, 1990
3	26.77 ft	October 13, 1981
4	25.07 ft	August 28, 1986
5	24.75 ft	June 23, 1997
6	24.72 ft	September 9, 1980
7	24.30 ft	June 4, 2000
8	22.97 ft	October 18, 2018
9	20.62 ft	May 30, 1981
10	20.44 ft	May 18, 2019

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.36 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 67° 42° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 73° 46° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 78° 58° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 82° 60° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 83° 63° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 83° 63° – Wind 17 mph

24 Sat 80° 62° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 07:06 PM Daylight 11 hr, 20 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the Colorado River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Colorado River near GailRiver gauge, Colorado River	1.11 ft	Normal	−1.91 ft	97 mi
Colorado River at Hwy 350 near IraRiver gauge, Colorado River	7.42 ft	Very high	±0	83 mi
Colorado River at Colorado CityRiver gauge, Colorado River	3.67 ft	High	+0.10 ft	68 mi
Colorado River above SilverRiver gauge, Colorado River	2.74 ft	Very high	−0.73 ft	49 mi
Colorado River at Robert LeeRiver gauge, Colorado River	0.88 ft	Low	−0.08 ft	29 mi
Colorado River near StacyRiver gauge, Colorado River	3.94 ft	High	−0.19 ft	31 mi
Colorado River near San SabaRiver gauge, Colorado River	2.21 ft	Normal	+0.06 ft	93 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elm Creek at BallingerRiver gauge, Elm Creek	3.35 ft	Normal	±0	5.2 mi
Concho River at Paint RockRiver gauge, Concho River	12.46 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	15 mi
O. H. Ivie Reservoir near VossReservoir, O. H. Ivie Reservoir	228,500 acre‑ft	Normal	−300 acre‑ft	26 mi
Oak Creek Reservoir near BlackwellReservoir, Oak Creek Reservoir	1,973.34 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	27 mi
Hords Creek Lake near ValeraLake, Hords Creek Lake	1,888.18 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	29 mi
Concho River at San AngeloRiver gauge, Concho River	1.51 ft	Normal	−0.08 ft	29 mi
Red Arroyo at S. Chadbourne St. near San AngeloRiver gauge, Red Arroyo	6.91 ft	Normal	−0.20 ft	31 mi
E. V. Spence Reservoir near Robert LeeReservoir, E. V. Spence Reservoir	1,842.03 ft	Very low	+0.13 ft	31 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Colorado River near Ballinger higher than last year?

No, it is 0.02 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 4.08 ft.

What is flood stage for the Colorado River near Ballinger?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 13.94 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Colorado River near Ballinger in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.27 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.97 ft and 4.93 ft, based on 27 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 Colorado River near Ballinger today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT, the water level was 4.06 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Colorado River near Ballinger rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Colorado River near Ballinger normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 27 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:08126380 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 31.71543, -100.02648 (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	4.06 ft	2026-10-18 18:00	Provisional
Flow	0.9 cfs	2026-10-18 18:00	Provisional
Water temperature	63 °F	2026-10-18 18:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Colorado River near Ballinger (usgs:08126380). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/colorado-river-near-ballinger

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