James River at Bedford Dam near Major water level

Name: James River at Bedford Dam near Major 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, James River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Water level

5.94ft Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 AM EDT (58 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The James River at Bedford Dam near Major reads 5.94 ft as of Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 AM EDT. There is no published reference for this river yet, so we can't say whether that is high or low for the season.

It has dropped 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 5.94 ft and 6.05 ft.

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

Floating and fishing near James River at Bedford Dam near Major

Use the recent trend as your guide, and ask locally which gage height makes for a good float.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the James River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
James River at Lick RunRiver gauge, James River	2.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	26 mi
James River at BuchananRiver gauge, James River	848 cfs	Normal	−131.0 cfs	17 mi
James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big IslandRiver gauge, James River	1,160 cfs	Normal	−160.0 cfs	1.8 mi
James River at Holcomb RockRiver gauge, James River	4.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.28 ft	8 mi
James River at Bent CreekRiver gauge, James River	3.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	30 mi
James River at ScottsvilleRiver gauge, James River	3.66 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	51 mi
James River at CartersvilleRiver gauge, James River	1.88 ft	Below flood stage	+0.23 ft	71 mi
James River near RichmondRiver gauge, James River	3.84 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	100 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Pedlar River at Forest Road near Buena VistaRiver gauge, Pedlar River	5.3 cfs	Low	−0.3 cfs	10 mi
Maury River near Buena VistaRiver gauge, Maury River	1.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	13 mi
Harris Creek below Route 130 near MonroeRiver gauge, Harris Creek	3.0 cfs	Very low	+0.4 cfs	13 mi
Kerrs Creek near LexingtonRiver gauge, Kerrs Creek	2.61 ft	Below flood stage	±0	17 mi
Piney River at Piney RiverRiver gauge, Piney River	2.29 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	21 mi
Maury River at Rockbridge BathsRiver gauge, Maury River	88.3 cfs	Normal	−13.7 cfs	23 mi
Tye River near LovingstonRiver gauge, Tye River	2.62 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	24 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 at Bedford Dam near Major today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 AM EDT, the water level was 5.94 ft. Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is James River at Bedford Dam near Major rising or falling?

Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of James River at Bedford Dam near Major 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:02024750 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.57983, -79.37639 (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	5.94 ft	2026-10-20 09:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: James River at Bedford Dam near Major (usgs:02024750). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/james-river-at-bedford-dam-near-major

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