Total streamflow across the
Otter Tail River
was last observed at
725
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
1,438
acre-ft of water today; about 75%
of normal.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
964 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2014-06-21 when daily discharge volume was observed at
3,480 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls
reporting a streamflow rate of 450 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth
with a gauge stage of 5.34 ft.
This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Otter Tail River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,272 ft, the
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth.
Last Updated | 2025-04-02 |
Discharge Volume | 1,438 ACRE-FT |
Streamflow |
725.0 cfs
+8.0 cfs (+1.12%) |
Percent of Normal | 75.24% |
Maximum |
3,480.0 cfs
2014-06-21 |
Seasonal Avg | 964 cfs |
The Otter Tail River is a 192-mile-long (309 km) river in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It begins in Clearwater County, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Bemidji. It then flows through a number of lakes and cities in Minnesota, including Elbow Lake, Many Point Lake, Chippewa Lake, Height of Land Lake, Frazee, the Pine lakes, Rush Lake, Otter Tail Lake and Ottertail, West Lost Lake, Fergus Falls, and Orwell Lake.
At its mouth, it joins with the Bois de Sioux River to form the Red River between Breckenridge, Minnesota and Wahpeton, North Dakota. The Red River is the Minnesota–North Dakota boundary from this point onward to the Canada–United States border. Waters of the Red River watershed ultimately flow north into Hudson Bay.
Between 1909 and 1925, the private Otter Tail Power Company built five dams on the Otter Tail River. They are Dayton Hollow (1909), Hoot Lake (1914), Pisgah (1918), Central / Wright (1871 / 1922), and Taplin Gorge (1925).