Watonwan River river
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Watonwan River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Watonwan 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Watonwan River Near Garden City
MN
USGS 05319500
|
1,280 | 3.99 | 11.3 | 113% | 5 | 12,000 | 931 |
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
Watonwan River
The Watonwan River is a 109-mile-long river that runs through south-central Minnesota. It begins in the northeastern corner of Watonwan County and flows through Brown County before joining the Blue Earth River. The river's name comes from the Dakota word "Watanwan" meaning "fish bait."
The Watonwan River has a watershed area of 1,007 square miles and is largely influenced by agricultural practices. There are five dams along the river, including the Madelia Dam, which creates the Madelia Lake Reservoir. The reservoir is used for fishing and boating, and the surrounding area is popular for camping and picnicking.
The river is also used for agricultural purposes, including irrigation and livestock watering. However, the river has struggled with water quality issues due to agricultural runoff and sedimentation. Efforts are underway to improve the water quality of the river through conservation practices and watershed management.
Track the Watonwan 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 Watonwan River
Where does the data for the Watonwan 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.