James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond water level

Name: James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Canal gauge, James River and Kanawha Canal, Virginia, United States

Directions

Normal for late October

Water level

6.78ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 05:30 AM EDT (44 min ago)

Flow: 162 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond, where the gauge shows 6.78 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 6.76 ft – 6.98 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 29.10 ftJune 23, 1972

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	29.10 ft	June 23, 1972
2	24.70 ft	August 21, 1969
3	24.50 ft	November 7, 1985
4	20.80 ft	October 7, 1972
5	20.74 ft	April 18, 1987
6	18.75 ft	February 27, 1979
7	17.51 ft	March 31, 1975
8	16.68 ft	January 28, 1978
9	14.88 ft	February 25, 2003
10	14.72 ft	August 19, 1985

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 66° 41° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 68° 41° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 65° 48° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 67° 47° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 68° 48° – Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 69° 48° – Wind 3 mph

27 Tue 73° 50° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:26 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
James River near RichmondRiver gauge, James River	4.02 ft	Below flood stage	+0.18 ft	1.5 mi
Fine Creek at Fine Creek MillsRiver gauge, Fine Creek	4.7 cfs	Normal	+1.5 cfs	14 mi
South Anna River near AshlandRiver gauge, South Anna River	1.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	16 mi
Appomattox River at MattoaxRiver gauge, Appomattox River	7.21 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	18 mi
Totopotomoy Creek near StudleyRiver gauge, Totopotomoy Creek	7.5 cfs	Normal	−3.7 cfs	19 mi
Pamunkey River near HanoverRiver gauge, Pamunkey River	151 cfs	Normal	−31.0 cfs	19 mi
Appomattox River at Route 602 near MannboroRiver gauge, Appomattox River	2.77 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	21 mi
North Anna River at Hart Corner near DoswellRiver gauge, North Anna River	62.9 cfs	Normal	−2.7 cfs	21 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 James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 05:30 AM EDT, the water level was 6.78 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond normal?

Normal for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond?

The highest level on record is 29.10 ft on June 23, 1972.

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:02037000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.56459, -77.57415 (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	6.78 ft	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional
Flow	162 cfs	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/6382?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: James River and Kanawha Canal near Richmond (usgs:02037000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/james-river-and-kanawha-canal-near-richmond

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