• River Levels

Explore Interactive Map

ROGUE RIVER

River Levels • Streamflow • Hydrology

---

Total streamflow across the Rogue River was last observed at 13,706 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 27,186 acre-ft of water today; about 120% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 11,382 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-04-08 when daily discharge volume was observed at 214,970 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Rogue River Near Agness reporting a streamflow rate of 17,400 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Rogue River, with a gauge stage of 9.11 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 10 different streamgauging stations along the Rogue River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,626 ft, the Rogue River Above Prospect.

The Rogue River is a 215-mile river in the state of Oregon, USA. The river has a rich history, having been used by Native American tribes for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. Today, it is a popular destination for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts, who come to fish, raft, and hike along the river's scenic route. The river is also an important source of water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. Specific reservoirs and dams along the river's length include the Lost Creek Dam, which forms Lost Creek Lake, and the Applegate Dam, which forms Applegate Lake. These dams have had both positive and negative impacts on the river's ecosystem and water quality. Despite these challenges, the river remains an important resource for the communities and ecosystems that depend on it.

November 21, 2024

Last Updated	2024-11-20
Discharge Volume	27,186 ACRE-FT
Streamflow	13,706.0 cfs -1074.0 cfs (-7.27%)
Percent of Normal	120.42%
Maximum	214,970.0 cfs 2019-04-08
Seasonal Avg	11,382 cfs

History of the River

The Rogue River (Tolowa: yan-shuu-chit’ taa-ghii~-li~’, Takelma: tak-elam) in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about 215 miles (346 km) in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. Beginning near Crater Lake, which occupies the caldera left by the explosive volcanic eruption of Mount Mazama, the river flows through the geologically young High Cascades and the older Western Cascades, another volcanic province. Further west, the river passes through multiple exotic terranes of the more ancient Klamath Mountains. In the Kalmiopsis Wilderness section of the Rogue basin are some of the world's best examples of rocks that form the Earth's mantle. Near the mouth of the river, the only dinosaur fragments ever discovered in Oregon were found in the Otter Point Formation, along the coast of Curry County.
People have lived along the Rogue River and its tributaries for at least 8,500 years. European explorers made first contact with Native Americans (Indians) toward the end of the 18th century and began beaver trapping and other activities in the region. Clashes, sometimes deadly, occurred between the natives and the trappers and later between the natives and European-American miners and settlers. These struggles culminated with the Rogue River Wars of 1855–56 and removal of most of the natives to reservations outside the basin. After the war, settlers expanded into remote areas of the watershed and established small farms along the river between Grave Creek and the mouth of the Illinois River. They were relatively isolated from the outside world until 1895, when the Post Office Department added mail-boat service along the lower Rogue. As of 2010, the Rogue has one of the two remaining rural mail-boat routes in the United States.
Dam building and removal along the Rogue has generated controversy for more than a century; an early fish-blocking dam (Ament) was dynamited by vigilantes, mostly disgruntled salmon fishermen. By 2009, all but one of the main-stem dams downstream of a huge flood-control structure 157 miles (253 km) from the river mouth had been removed. Aside from dams, threats to salmon include high water temperatures. Although sometimes too warm for salmonids, the main stem Rogue is relatively clean, ranking between 85 and 97 (on a scale of 0 to 100) on the Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI).
Although the Rogue Valley near Medford is partly urban, the average population density of the Rogue watershed is only about 32 people per square mile (12 per km2). Several historic bridges cross the river near the more populated areas. Many public parks, hiking trails, and campgrounds are near the river, which flows largely through forests, including national forests. Biodiversity in many parts of the basin is high; the Klamath-Siskiyou temperate coniferous forests, which extend into the southwestern Rogue basin, are among the four most diverse of this kind in the world.