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Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

The gauge at Pohono is well above the defined reach. Flows in the reach can be highly dependent upon side creeks feeding water into the Merced, and there are many significant ones below Pohono and along the length of the reach. The most significant is the South Fork of the Merced, approx. 4.6 miles below Red Bud.

Two other flow point measurements exist.

Chris Shackelton's website, Dreamflows (click on Realtime Dreamflows) links all 3 sites/graphs.
The Flow at Red Bud (aka the Foresta Bridge) is an estimate that mirrors the graph at Pohono, and seems very roughly accurate at "average" boatable flows.

The most useful gauge is one below Briceburg, as it includes inflow from the South Fork Merced at Savage's Trading Post, approx. 4.6 miles below Red Bud. It can be found at Gauge below Briceburg.

I've been told that the Briceburg gauge is solar powered and has a limited battery back-up power supply, resulting in the gauge dropping off line for hours during long periods of darkness or very bad weather. THESE ANOMOLOUS DROPS CAN SAFELY BE IGNORED! The Merced river in this reach is a natural flow without dam control, thus it doesn't "shut down" as might be inferred from the flow graph.

Daily Inflow to McLure Reservoir is also available

NOAA Flow predictions

Gauge Information

Name

Range

Difficulty

Updated

Level

Merced At Red Bud

dream-139

300 - 7000 cfs

II-V

163d08h43m

~ 215 cfs (rc= -0.0 )

Range	Water Level	Difficulty	Comment
300 -7000 cfs	barely runnable-high runnable	II-V

MERCED RIVER NEAR BRICEBURG

cdec-MBB

600 - 8000 cfs

II-V

01h43m

215 cfs (rc= -0.1 )

Range	Water Level	Difficulty	Comment
600 -8000 cfs	barely runnable-high runnable	II-V
8000 -15000 cfs	somewhat High-somewhat High	IV(V)	Flood level, too high for most. Low gradient sections still okay.

MERCED R A POHONO BRIDGE NR YOSEMITE CA

usgs-11266500

400 - 8000 cfs

II-V

00h28m

117 cfs (rc= -0.0 )

Range	Water Level	Difficulty	Comment
400 -8000 cfs	barely runnable-high runnable	II-V

Merced Inflow Lake McClure

dream-094

1000 - 12000 cfs

II-V

79h27m

245 cfs (rc= -0.1 )

Range	Water Level	Difficulty	Comment
1000 -12000 cfs	barely runnable-high runnable	II-V

Report - Reports of Merced 4) El Portal to Route 49 at Lake McClure and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When	River/Gauge	Subject	Level	Reporter
237d18h27m	Red Bud [CA]	Merced Red Bud to Railroad Flat	8500 cfs	user: "kmccall"
2y339d11h27m	Merced [CA]	South Fork Confluence	400 cfs	Thomas O'Keefe
4y333d19h27m	Merced [CA]	Nightmare at low water	very low	Paul Martzen
4y333d19h27m	Merced [CA]	New Boulders	low	Paul Martzen
4y342d10h27m	Merced River [CA]	Afternoon light	low	Daniel Lundberg
8y269d19h27m	Merced [CA]	Kayaking Ned's	3000	Andrew and Dorian Goldstein
8y271d19h27m	Merced [CA]	Rafting on the Merced	UNK	Andrew and Dorian Goldstein
8y272d16h27m	Merced [CA]	Ned's Gulch-Class IV-Merced CA	3000	Andrew and Dorian Goldstein
> 10 years	Merced [CA]	Split Rock Rapid from Downstream	1250 cfs	Matthew Urdan