How high is the Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd right now?

The Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd is currently flowing at 73 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 4.35 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as normal for June 11. Today's discharge is at the 66th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 4.65 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 9.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd on June 11?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 23 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 3 to 329 cfs.

Where is the Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd stream gauge located?

The Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Codington County, SD on the Big Sioux River. USGS site number 06479500 (coordinates 44.9425, -97.1462).

Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd

USGS Site No: 06479500 • Big Sioux River • Codington County, SD

Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd on the Big Sioux River is currently at 73 cfs (Normal — 66th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 4.35 ft.

Reading from 1 week ago

↑ Upstream on Big Sioux River

Big Sioux River Near Watertown,sd

Downstream on Big Sioux River ↓

Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD

CFS Discharge

4.35

Gage Height (ft)

Normal

Flow Condition

Normal

Flood Status

Historical Percentile Comparison

Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for June 11 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.

Percentile	Label	CFS Threshold	Today's Flow
10th	Very Low threshold	3
25th	Low threshold	11
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	23
75th	High threshold	103	Today: 73 cfs
95th	Very High threshold	329

30-Day Hydrograph

Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	65	4.27
May 27, 2026	55	4.15
May 26, 2026	47	4.05
May 25, 2026	48	4.07
May 24, 2026	48	4.07
May 23, 2026	48	4.07
May 22, 2026	32	3.84
May 21, 2026	29	3.81
May 20, 2026	31	3.83
May 19, 2026	29	3.81
May 18, 2026	25	3.75
May 17, 2026	17	3.64
May 16, 2026	21	3.69
May 15, 2026	25	3.75
Apr 20, 2026	85	4.48
Apr 19, 2026	88	4.52
Apr 18, 2026	101	4.67
Apr 17, 2026	106	4.74
Apr 16, 2026	110	4.79
Apr 15, 2026	108	4.76
Apr 14, 2026	105	4.72
Apr 13, 2026	98	4.63
Apr 12, 2026	100	4.66
Apr 11, 2026	93	4.58
Apr 10, 2026	97	4.62
Apr 9, 2026	105	4.72
Apr 8, 2026	113	4.82
Apr 7, 2026	99	4.65
Apr 6, 2026	92	4.56
Apr 5, 2026	94	4.58

Station Information

USGS Site No: 06479500
State: SD
County: Codington County
Coordinates: 44.9425, -97.1462
Drainage Area: 806 mi²
Datum (ft): 1,711.4
HUC Code: 10170201

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 8.0 ft
Flood Stage: 9.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 10.0 ft
Major Flood: 12.0 ft

Currently 4.65 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 498 cfs

Aug 7, 2025
Min discharge: 8 cfs

May 14, 2025
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Big Sioux River Near Watertown,sd
4.5 mi · 32 cfs

Normal
Willow Creek Near Watertown,sd
5.2 mi · 0 cfs

Unknown
Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD
8.1 mi · 21 cfs

Low
Big Sioux River Near Castlewood,sd
15.4 mi · 101 cfs

Normal
Big Sioux River Near Florence,sd
16.6 mi · 5 cfs

Normal