Total streamflow across the
Black River
was last observed at
30,211
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
59,923
acre-ft of water today; about 38%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
80,363 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2011-05-04 when daily discharge volume was observed at
476,781 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Black River At Elgin Ferry
reporting a streamflow rate of 6,850 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Black River Ds St Hwy 54 @ Black River Falls
with a gauge stage of 38.13 ft.
This river is monitored from 23 different streamgauging stations along the Black River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 5,759 ft, the
Black River Blw Pumping Plant.
Last Updated | 2025-03-30 |
Discharge Volume | 59,923 ACRE-FT |
Streamflow |
30,210.9 cfs
-5405.4 cfs (-15.18%) |
Percent of Normal | 37.59% |
Maximum |
476,781.0 cfs
2011-05-04 |
Seasonal Avg | 80,363 cfs |
The Bafing River runs through Guinea and Mali and is about 760 kilometres (470 mi) long. It joins with the Bakoy River at Bafoulabé to form the Sénégal River in the Kayes Region of western Mali. In Manding languages, Bafing signifies 'black river' and Bakoye 'white river'. The Bafing forms part of the international border between Guinea and Mali.
From 1895 to 1898 the railway bridge near the town of Mahina, designed by Gustave Eiffel, was built.
The Manantali hydroelectric dam is located on the Bafing River 90 kilometres (56 mi) upstream of Bafoulabé. It forms the largest artificial lake in Mali, Lake Manantali. The dam retains 11.3 cubic kilometres (2.7 cu mi) of water which is used to power the turbines during the dry season. As a result, the intensity of the maximum flood downstream of the dam has been reduced but during the dry season, a flow of between 150 m3/s (200 cubic yards per second) and 200 m3/s (260 cubic yards per second) is maintained.