Watonwan River near Garden City water level

Name: Watonwan River near Garden City 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, Watonwan River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.34ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:30 AM CDT (40 min ago)

Flow: 137 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The gauge at Watonwan River near Garden City reads 1.34 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.08 ft and 1.35 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 20.07 ftApril 9, 1969

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	20.07 ft	April 9, 1969
2	19.33 ft	June 24, 2024
3	18.89 ft	April 7, 1965
4	18.60 ft	June 9, 1953
5	18.01 ft	September 25, 2010
6	16.48 ft	March 19, 2019
7	15.91 ft	June 20, 1993
8	14.24 ft	June 25, 2018
9	13.63 ft	March 24, 2011
10	12.71 ft	March 19, 2010

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:28 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min First quarter 59%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Le Sueur River near RapidanRiver gauge, Le Sueur River	1,100 cfs	High	+60.0 cfs	9 mi
Blue Earth River near RapidanRiver gauge, Blue Earth River	1,540 cfs	High	+200 cfs	9 mi
Minnesota River at MankatoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	5.21 ft	Below flood stage	+0.31 ft	13 mi
Little Cottonwood River near CourtlandRiver gauge, Little Cottonwood River	18.0 cfs	Normal	+3.3 cfs	16 mi
Cottonwood River near New UlmRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.28 ft	Below flood stage	±0	21 mi
Minnesota River at New UlmRiver gauge, Minnesota River	785.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	21 mi
High Island Creek near HendersonRiver gauge, High Island Creek	55.9 cfs	Normal	−3.1 cfs	39 mi
Des Moines River at JacksonRiver gauge, Des Moines River	6.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	49 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 Watonwan River near Garden City today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:30 AM CDT, the water level was 1.34 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Watonwan River near Garden City rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Watonwan River near Garden City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Watonwan River near Garden City?

The highest level on record is 20.07 ft on April 9, 1969.

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:05319500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.04622, -94.19487 (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	1.34 ft	2026-10-19 12:30	Provisional
Flow	137 cfs	2026-10-19 12:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Watonwan River near Garden City (usgs:05319500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/watonwan-river-near-garden-city

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