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Total streamflow across the
Upper Iowa River
was last observed at
4,590
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
9,104
acre-ft of water today; about 197%
of normal.
River levels are high.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
2,330 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2013-06-24 when daily discharge volume was observed at
34,000 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester
reporting a streamflow rate of 1,840 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Upper Iowa River, with a gauge stage of
8.91 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Upper Iowa River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 970 ft, the
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton.
| Last Updated | 2025-05-01 |
| Discharge Volume | 9,104 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
4,590.0 cfs
+850.0 cfs (+22.73%) |
| Percent of Normal | 196.99% |
| Maximum |
34,000.0 cfs
2013-06-24 |
| Seasonal Avg | 2,330 cfs |
The Upper Iowa River is a 156-mile-long (251 km) tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States.
Its headwaters are in southeastern Minnesota, in Mower County (Le Roy and Lodi townships) near the border with Iowa. It then flows through the Iowa counties of Howard, Winneshiek, and Allamakee, and finally into the Upper Mississippi River. Along its course, it passes through the Iowa cities of Chester, Lime Springs, Florenceville, Kendallville, Bluffton, and Decorah. Its watershed comprises nearly 641,000 acres (2,590 km2).
The Upper Iowa and its tributaries are part of the Driftless Area of Iowa, a region that was ice-free during the last ice age. Unlike areas to the south and west, the area was not planed down by glaciation or covered in glacial drift, with the result that there are steep, high-walled canyons that little resembles what one normally sees in Iowa rivers in the western and southern regions of the state. The lack of any serious development makes this the only river in Iowa eligible for designation as a National Wild and Scenic River. It has not yet attained this status, partly because much of the land and the riverbottom itself are privately owned.
It is an excellent river for canoeing, taking paddlers through the scenic bluff country. Many put their canoes in at Kendallville or down river from there, but some more intrepid paddlers prefer to start at Lime Springs by the Lidtke Mill or at Florenceville.
A number of wildlife refuges and preserves dot the river's basin. Bird sightings on the river usually include bald eagles, great blue herons, turkey vultures, and barn swallows.
In April 2007, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation announced the purchase of 1,224 acres (5 km2) of additional land; currently off limits to the public, stabilization and restoration work will be done to the riverbank, with removal of non-native vegetation and replanting with more appropriate species.
The Upper Iowa was sometimes historically called the "Iowa River", creating confusion with the larger Iowa River to the south. The Upper Iowa was also called the "Oneota River", and the large number of Late Prehistoric sites along its bluffs caused the early archaeologist Charles R. Keyes to name the Oneota Culture for the river.
