Santa Maria River river
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Santa Maria River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Santa Maria 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Maria River Near Bagdad
AZ
USGS 09424900
|
1 | 0.08 | 0.0 | 100% | 0 | 3,420 | 1,375 |
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
Santa Maria River
The Santa Maria River is a river in central California that flows for approximately 60 miles before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Historically, the river was an important resource for the indigenous Chumash people. Today, the river is primarily used for agricultural irrigation and recreation. The Cachuma and Twitchell reservoirs serve as major storage facilities along the river, with Twitchell Dam being the oldest dam in the county. The river is also known for its trout fishing, and there are several recreational areas along its banks, including the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area and the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve. However, due to overuse and drought, the river has faced challenges in sustaining its resources and ecosystem.
Recreation along the Santa Maria River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria River
Where does the data for the Santa Maria 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.