River Report

Passaic River river

4 streamgauges 33% of normal Last updated 2026-05-30
Aggregate flow
660cfs
% of normal
33%
Daily volume
1,308AF
Seasonal avg
1,984cfs

Total streamflow across the Passaic River was last observed at 660 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,308 acre-ft of water today; about 33% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 1,984 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2011-08-30 when daily discharge volume was observed at 32,060 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Passaic River At Little Falls Nj reporting a streamflow rate of 300 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Passaic River At Pine Brook Nj with a gauge stage of 13.49 ft. This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Passaic River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 232 ft, the Passaic River Near Millington Nj.

Max discharge

Passaic River At Little Falls Nj

300cfs
Highest stage

Passaic River At Pine Brook Nj

13.49ft
Highest-elevation gauge

Passaic River Near Millington Nj

232ft
Aggregate trend

River streamflow levels

Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Passaic 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 Passaic River

All 4 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)
Passaic River Near Millington Nj NJ
USGS 01379000
26 4.68 -20.8 27% 1 2,020 232
Passaic River Near Chatham Nj NJ
USGS 01379500
63 3.60 -32.4 48% 11 2,610 199
Passaic River At Pine Brook Nj NJ
USGS 01381900
271 13.49 -22.6 69% 26 7,030 167
Passaic River At Little Falls Nj NJ
USGS 01389500
300 1.04 -31.5 39% 30 20,400 131
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

Around the river

Recreation along the Passaic River

Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.

Track the Passaic 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 Passaic River

Where does the data for the Passaic 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.