Rio Grande level at Elephant Butte
New Mexico · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 08361000 — RIO GRANDE BELOW ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM, NM · NWS forecast point EDBN5
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Low and clear — wadeable, and fish will be spooky
At 0.0 CFS, this gauge is running 0% of normal for mid-September — below the 774 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 109 years of record (1917–2026).
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Flow history at Elephant Butte
Daily values from USGS 08361000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for EDBN5 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Elephant Butte
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 9.26 ft | 4,480 CFS | May 22, 2007 |
| 7.92 ft | 3,320 CFS | Jul 9, 2008 |
| 7.79 ft | 3,220 CFS | Jul 21, 2004 |
| 7.63 ft | 3,000 CFS | Jun 4, 2014 |
| 7.50 ft | 2,330 CFS | Jun 29, 1973 |
| 7.41 ft | 2,840 CFS | Jun 23, 2005 |
| 7.34 ft | 2,670 CFS | Jul 4, 1972 |
| 7.32 ft | 3,020 CFS | Jul 29, 2009 |
| 7.31 ft | 2,860 CFS | Jul 8, 2006 |
| 7.28 ft | 2,960 CFS | Jul 9, 1965 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Rio Grande at Elephant Butte
In New Mexico, below Elephant Butte Reservoir. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Elephant Butte Reservoir. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Rio Grande at Elephant Butte — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Elephant Butte Reservoir affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Rio Grande at Elephant Butte high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 774 CFS, from 109 years of record (1917–2026). Today is 0% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 08361000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for EDBN5 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.