River Report

Bruneau River river

2 streamgauges 12% of normal Last updated 2026-05-30
Aggregate flow
172cfs
% of normal
12%
Daily volume
341AF
Seasonal avg
1,478cfs

Total streamflow across the Bruneau River was last observed at 172 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 341 acre-ft of water today; about 12% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 1,478 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2011-05-16 when daily discharge volume was observed at 5,370 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Bruneau River Nr Hot Spring Id reporting a streamflow rate of 146 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Bruneau River, with a gauge stage of 4.99 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Bruneau River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 4,934 ft, the Bruneau River At Rowland Nv.

Max discharge

Bruneau River Nr Hot Spring Id

146cfs
Highest stage

Bruneau River Nr Hot Spring Id

4.99ft
Highest-elevation gauge

Bruneau River At Rowland Nv

4,934ft
Aggregate trend

River streamflow levels

Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Bruneau River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.

Total streamflow

Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily

Per-gauge breakdown

Every streamgauge along the Bruneau 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)
Bruneau River At Rowland Nv NV
USGS 13161500
21 2.44 -2.3 13% 2 1,400 4,934
Bruneau River Nr Hot Spring Id ID
USGS 13168500
146 4.99 -5.0 14% 17 4,250 2,607
Annual peaks

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

Profile

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

About this river

Bruneau River

The Bruneau River is a 153-mile-long river located in southwestern Idaho, United States. It is a tributary of the Snake River and flows through the Owyhee Desert. The river has a rich history, being used by Native American tribes for fishing and hunting. It was also explored by French fur trappers in the early 1800s. The hydrology of the river is highly variable, with flows ranging from less than 1 cubic foot per second to over 11,000 cubic feet per second. There are no large reservoirs or dams on the Bruneau River, but there are several smaller ones used for irrigation purposes. The river is popular for recreation, with fishing, kayaking, and camping being common activities. The surrounding land is also used for agriculture, mainly for grazing livestock.

Track the Bruneau 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.

FAQ

About the Bruneau River

Where does the data for the Bruneau 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.