Bill Williams River river
Total streamflow across the Bill Williams River was last observed at 31 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 61 acre-ft of water today; about 15% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 206 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2022-08-15 when daily discharge volume was observed at 9,976 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Bill Williams River Below Alamo Dam reporting a streamflow rate of 32.2 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Bill Williams River, with a gauge stage of 12.26 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Bill Williams River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 975 ft, the Bill Williams River Below Alamo Dam.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Bill Williams River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Bill Williams River
All 2 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bill Williams River Below Alamo Dam
AZ
USGS 09426000
|
32 | 12.26 | 2.6 | 75% | 1 | 200,000 | 975 |
|
Bill Williams River Near Parker
AZ
USGS 09426620
|
5 | 2.20 | 0.0 | 3% | 0 | 9,960 | 521 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Bill Williams River
The Bill Williams River is a 46-mile-long tributary of the Colorado River in western Arizona. It is named after mountain man Bill Williams, who explored the area in the early 19th century. The river flows through the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge and the Lake Havasu National Wildlife Refuge before joining the Colorado River near Lake Havasu City.
The Bill Williams River is fed by several tributaries and is regulated by several dams and reservoirs, including the Alamo Dam and Reservoir, which provides water for agriculture and recreation. The river also supports recreational activities such as boating, fishing, and camping, and provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, including the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher. In recent years, efforts have been made to restore and protect the Bill Williams River and its ecosystem.
Recreation along the Bill Williams River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Bill Williams River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Bill Williams River
Where does the data for the Bill Williams River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.