Saluda River level at Columbia
South Carolina · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 02168504 — SALUDA RIVER BELOW LK MURRAY DAM NR COLUMBIA, SC · NWS forecast point MURS1
Reading taken · as of 18 min ago
On the low side — bony, but runnable in a plastic boat
At 849 CFS, this gauge is running 63% of normal for mid-September — below the 1,350 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 37 years of record (1989–2026).
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Flow history at Columbia
Daily values from USGS 02168504, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for MURS1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Columbia
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 27.50 ft | — | Oct 4, 2015 |
| 20.39 ft | — | Dec 29, 1992 |
| 16.01 ft | — | Feb 21, 1990 |
| 15.88 ft | 20,000 CFS | Mar 21, 2003 |
| 15.88 ft | 22,100 CFS | Mar 9, 1996 |
| 15.85 ft | 22,000 CFS | Jan 16, 1995 |
| 15.70 ft | 21,600 CFS | Sep 21, 1989 |
| 15.69 ft | 17,857 CFS | Sep 29, 2024 |
| 15.34 ft | 18,900 CFS | Feb 4, 1998 |
| 15.29 ft | 20,600 CFS | Oct 12, 1990 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Saluda River at Columbia
In South Carolina, below Lake Murray. 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. Lower Saluda below Lake Murray; no public release schedule.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake Murray. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Saluda River at Columbia — common questions
3 questions
How fast can Saluda River at Columbia come up?
Fast. It is dam-controlled, below Lake Murray, so flow changes when the operator changes the release — often within minutes, often with no rain at all. The pool upstream is tracked on lakelvl.com.
Is Saluda River at Columbia high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 1,350 CFS, from 37 years of record (1989–2026). Today is 63% 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 02168504 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for MURS1 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.