Little Cottonwood River river
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Little Cottonwood River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Little Cottonwood River
All 1 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland
MN
USGS 05317200
|
129 | 4.00 | 14.2 | 64% | 1 | 3,030 | 810 |
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
Little Cottonwood River
The Little Cottonwood River is a tributary of the Minnesota River and stretches about 47 miles, running from the southwestern part of Blue Earth County to the eastern part of Brown County. Historically, the river was used by Native Americans for transportation and fishing. Today, it is used for a variety of recreational activities such as canoeing, fishing, and camping. It also provides irrigation for agricultural purposes. The river flows through a number of impoundments and reservoirs, including the Harkin's Slough Reservoir, the Swan Lake Reservoir, and the Little Cottonwood River Watershed Dam. These dams help regulate the water flow and are used for flood control purposes. Despite its importance, the Little Cottonwood River has faced challenges such as pollution and erosion. Efforts have been made to address these issues and protect the river for future generations.
Recreation along the Little Cottonwood River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Little Cottonwood 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 Little Cottonwood River
Where does the data for the Little Cottonwood 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.