Streamflow

Rio Grande basin streamflow

Daily mean discharge across 2 gauges

Data through Aug 26, 2026 · source last checked Aug 27, 2026 · page revised Aug 27, 2026

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About this data
Source
US Geological Survey (USGS)
Series
Daily mean streamflow (discharge)
Geography
Rio Grande
Unit
cfs
Calculation
Daily mean
Last observation
Aug 26, 2026
Update frequency
Daily

2 basin-representative gauges tracked.

Rio Grande streamflow on Aug 26 read 177 cfs at Otowi Bridge and 0 cfs at San Marcial Floodway.

The numbers
GaugeDischargeAs of
Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge177 cfsAug 26, 2026
Rio Grande Floodway at San Marcial0.0 cfsAug 26, 2026

Previous weeks

Week of Aug 19, 2026

The Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge ran at 256 cfs on Aug 19, while flow at the San Marcial Floodway gauge was 0.0 cfs.

An earlier week

Rio Grande streamflow at Otowi Bridge measured 244 cfs on Aug 12; the Rio Grande Floodway at San Marcial showed 0 cfs.

Week of Aug 13, 2026

Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge discharged 248 cfs on August 9, and the Floodway at San Marcial read 0 cfs.

About Rio Grande basin

The Rio Grande runs from the San Juan Mountains of Colorado through New Mexico to the Texas border. This page lines up its two accounting gages: Otowi Bridge, above Cochiti, where New Mexico's Rio Grande Compact delivery obligation is measured, and San Marcial, the last station above Elephant Butte Reservoir.

The distance between the two lines is the story of the Middle Rio Grande. Between the gages the river crosses a long, sandy, evaporative reach and passes the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District's diversions, so San Marcial always reads well below Otowi and the gap widens through the irrigation season. In dry years the reach can go intermittent and San Marcial can approach zero while Otowi still shows flow. Both gages peak with May snowmelt and both take monsoon pulses in July and August, but only Otowi's number carries a legal consequence.