Mattole River river
Total streamflow across the Mattole River was last observed at 145 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 288 acre-ft of water today; about 74% of normal. Average streamflow for this time of year is 196 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2023-03-14 when daily discharge volume was observed at 38,900 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Mattole R Nr Petrolia Ca reporting a streamflow rate of 105 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Mattole River, with a gauge stage of 11.75 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Mattole River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 599 ft, the Mattole R Nr Ettersburg Ca.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Mattole River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Mattole 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mattole R Nr Ettersburg Ca
CA
USGS 11468900
|
40 | 8.77 | -4.1 | 61% | 1 | 11,200 | 599 |
|
Mattole R Nr Petrolia Ca
CA
USGS 11469000
|
105 | 11.75 | -7.3 | 46% | 8 | 27,700 | 61 |
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
Mattole River
The Mattole River is a 62-mile-long river located in Northern California that flows through the scenic Mattole Valley. Historically, the Mattole Valley was home to the indigenous Mattole people who lived along the river for thousands of years. The river is unique in that it is one of the few undammed rivers left in California, allowing for a relatively natural flow regime. The Mattole River watershed provides critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, including coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and the Pacific lamprey. There are no major reservoirs or dams on the river, and the water is primarily used for agriculture and recreational purposes such as fishing, swimming, and river rafting.
Recreation along the Mattole River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Mattole 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 Mattole River
Where does the data for the Mattole 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.