Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale
Kansas · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 07170700 — BIG HILL C NR CHERRYVALE, KS
Reading taken Jul 28, 11:00 PM UTC
Low and clear — wadeable, and fish will be spooky
At 0.0 CFS, this gauge is running 0% of normal for late July — below the 0.1 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 60 years of record (1958–2018).
Data-derived guidance from USGS and NWS published values — not official advice, and not a safety assessment.
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12 months of flow at Cherryvale
Daily values from USGS gauge 07170700. Provisional data, subject to revision.
About Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale
This gauge sits on Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale, Kansas, immediately below Big Hill Lake. Flow here is controlled by releases from the dam, so it can change by hundreds of CFS within an hour with no rain anywhere in the basin — check it before you go, not the day before.
Raw CFS means little on its own, so every reading on this page is shown against the USGS median for the same calendar day — 0.1 CFS for late July, from 60 years of record.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow at this gauge is set by releases from Big Hill Lake. A full pool usually means more water is on its way down.
Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale — common questions
What is the current flow on Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale?
As of the last reading on this page, Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale was running 0.0 CFS at a gage height of 2.74 ft, or 0% of the USGS median for this date. The number updates automatically from USGS gauge 07170700, which reports every 15 to 60 minutes.
Is that high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late July at this gauge is 0.1 CFS, calculated from 60 years of record (1958–2018). Comparing today's reading against that median is the only way a raw CFS number tells you anything — 200 CFS is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from this gauge every 15 to 60 minutes. This page bakes in the most recent reading when it is rebuilt, then refreshes live from USGS when you open it. Readings are provisional and subject to revision by USGS.
Is Big Hill Creek at Cherryvale wadeable right now?
That depends on the reach and on your own judgement — riverlvl will not tell you the water is safe to stand in. What it will tell you is whether today's flow is unusually high or low for the date, against a seasonal median of 0.1 CFS, which is the single most useful input to that decision. On a dam tailwater like this one, the bigger risk is a sudden generation release, which can raise the river several feet with little warning.
How do releases from Big Hill Lake affect this stretch?
Directly and quickly. When the dam generates or spills, flow at this gauge climbs — often within an hour, often by an order of magnitude. The reservoir level itself is tracked on lakelvl.com, and the link on this page goes straight to it, so you can see whether the pool is high enough that releases are likely.
Where does this data come from?
Flow and gage height are public-domain USGS data from gauge 07170700. riverlvl adds the seasonal comparison and plain-English summary; it is not an official source and does not issue warnings.