Etowah River at Cartersville
Georgia · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 02393501 — ETOWAH RIVER ALLATOONA DAM TW, ABV CARTERSVILLE,GA
Reading taken Jul 28, 11:15 PM UTC
About normal for the date
At — CFS, this gauge is running 100% of normal for late July — close to the 691 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 17 years of record (2007–2024).
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 Cartersville
Daily values from USGS gauge 02393501. Provisional data, subject to revision.
About Etowah River at Cartersville
This gauge sits on Etowah River at Cartersville, Georgia, immediately below Lake Allatoona. 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 — 691 CFS for late July, from 17 years of record.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow at this gauge is set by releases from Lake Allatoona. A full pool usually means more water is on its way down.
Etowah River at Cartersville — common questions
What is the current flow on Etowah River at Cartersville?
The live reading comes from USGS gauge 02393501, which reports every 15 to 60 minutes. The current value is shown at the top of this page.
Is that high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late July at this gauge is 691 CFS, calculated from 17 years of record (2007–2024). 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 Etowah River at Cartersville 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 691 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 Lake Allatoona 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 02393501. riverlvl adds the seasonal comparison and plain-English summary; it is not an official source and does not issue warnings.