How high is the Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD right now?

The Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD is currently flowing at 21 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 5.13 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

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

Current flow is classified as low for June 11. Today's discharge is at the 13th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 5.87 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 11.0 feet.

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

The long-term median discharge for this date is 163 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 19 to unavailable cfs.

Where is the Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD stream gauge located?

The Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Codington County, SD on the Big Sioux River. USGS site number 06479520 (coordinates 44.8477, -97.0495).

Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD

USGS Site No: 06479520 • Big Sioux River • Codington County, SD

Big Sioux River Below Watertown, SD on the Big Sioux River is currently at 21 cfs (Low — 13th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 5.13 ft.

Reading from 1 week ago

↑ Upstream on Big Sioux River

Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd

Downstream on Big Sioux River ↓

Big Sioux River Near Castlewood,sd

CFS Discharge

5.13

Gage Height (ft)

Low

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	19
25th	Low threshold	28	Today: 21 cfs
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	163
75th	High threshold	244
95th	Very High threshold	0

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	81	5.14
May 27, 2026	88	5.20
May 26, 2026	76	5.10
May 25, 2026	81	5.14
May 24, 2026	89	5.20
May 23, 2026	90	5.21
May 22, 2026	78	5.12
May 21, 2026	66	5.02
May 20, 2026	73	5.08
May 19, 2026	74	5.09
May 18, 2026	75	5.09
May 17, 2026	49	4.90
May 16, 2026	52	4.92
May 15, 2026	63	5.00
Apr 20, 2026	111	5.39
Apr 19, 2026	118	5.45
Apr 18, 2026	131	5.57
Apr 17, 2026	140	5.65
Apr 16, 2026	148	5.72
Apr 15, 2026	148	5.72
Apr 14, 2026	144	5.68
Apr 13, 2026	137	5.63
Apr 12, 2026	137	5.63
Apr 11, 2026	131	5.57
Apr 10, 2026	135	5.61
Apr 9, 2026	147	5.71
Apr 8, 2026	151	5.74
Apr 7, 2026	149	5.73
Apr 6, 2026	140	5.65
Apr 5, 2026	135	5.61

Station Information

USGS Site No: 06479520
State: SD
County: Codington County
Coordinates: 44.8477, -97.0495
Drainage Area: 1,000 mi²
Datum (ft): 1,695.5
HUC Code: 10170201

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 10.0 ft
Flood Stage: 11.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 11.5 ft
Major Flood: 12.0 ft

Currently 5.87 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 226 cfs

Mar 22, 2026
Min discharge: 49 cfs

May 17, 2026
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Willow Creek Near Watertown,sd
4.9 mi · 0 cfs

Unknown
Big Sioux River Near Castlewood,sd
8.0 mi · 101 cfs

Normal
Big Sioux River at Watertown,sd
8.1 mi · 73 cfs

Normal
Big Sioux River Near Watertown,sd
12.3 mi · 32 cfs

Normal
Hidewood Creek Near Estelline SD
16.9 mi

Unknown