Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

Flows in this section of the river are released from Friant Dam. Typical releases are less than 100 cfs in the winter, but around 350 cfs in the summer.  At 100 cfs, boats will run aground in the riffles and rapids.   350 cfs is an excellent flow for beginners with well defined riffles.  Very high flows up to 10,000 cfs can occur in the spring of wet years.   High flows are suitable for experienced swiftwater boaters.  Motor boats will also be seen running up or down the river at high flows.

Millerton Average Daily Flows
Millerton DailyReport (As of midnight)- pdf
Time and Date of changes in release to the river
USGS gauge page. Historical data can be found here.
Hourly Flows   
Daily Regional Snowpack Plots: CDEC

Two small creeks enter the river below Friant.  Normally their flows will be zero to minimal, but they can be high during rain storms. 
Cottonwood Creek enters from the west between the dam and Friant Bridge.
Little Dry Creek enters from the east a few miles downstream of Friant

Since the start of restoration test flows in 2009, a number of new gauges along the river have gone online.
San Joaquin below Friant gauge (shown below) is at the upper end of Lost Lake.
Stage measurement at Highway 41.
Donny Bridge gauge (shown below) is a mile or two west of Highway 99.
Gravelly Ford gauge (shown below), is 5 or 6 miles west of Highway 145.    After the construction of Friant Dam in 1946 till the start of restoration flows in 2009, the river was usually dry at this point.
San Joaquin below Bifurcation gauge is upstream of Mendota, but below the Chowchilla bypass.
Chowchilla Bypass gauge shows flows diverted away from the natural channell into the bypass channell.

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
SAN JOAQUIN R AT DONNY BRIDGE
cdec-DNB 150 - 15000 cfs I 01h46m 257 cfs (rc= 0.0 )
This gauge is a few miles below Highway 99.
RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
150 -15000 cfs barely runnable-high runnable I
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER AT GRAVELLY FORD
cdec-GRF 150 - 15000 cfs I 01h31m 236 cfs (rc= 0.0 )
Flat water. The higher the flow the better.
This gauge is below Skagg's Bridge, about 1/3 of the way to Mendota.
RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
150 -15000 cfs barely runnable-high runnable I Flat water. The higher the flow the better.
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER BELOW BIFURCATION
cdec-SJB 200 - 10000 cfs I 01h16m 135 cfs (rc= -0.0 )
Below Chowchilla Bypass and upstream of Mendota Pool
RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
200 -10000 cfs barely runnable-high runnable I Flat water, so the higher the flow the better, in general.
SAN JOAQUIN R BL FRIANT CA
usgs-11251000 150 - 15000 cfs I 00h17m 355 cfs (rc= 0.6 )
Good for canoes and beginners.

RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
150 -15000 cfs barely runnable-high runnable I
150 - 200 cfs extremely Low-somewhat Low I Scraping bottom in the riffles
200 - 500 cfs med runnable-a bit pushy runnable I Good for canoes and beginners.
1000 -3000 cfs med runnable-a bit pushy runnable I Medium level for experienced boaters.
5000 -15000 cfs a bit pushy runnable-high runnable I-II Fun for advanced boaters.

Report - Reports of San Joaquin Friant Dam to Mendota Pool Dam 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
1y41d08h46m @San Joaquin Friant Dam to Skagg's Bridge Park [CA] San Mateo Ave to Bifurcation dams 860 cfs Paul Martzen
5y275d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] Donaghy Mansion 7,600 cfs Paul Martzen
6y43d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] Bridge 1,000 cfs Paul Martzen
6y43d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] Lost Lake 2nd Rapid-1 1000 cfs Paul Martzen
6y43d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] Big Chute! - Lost Lake 1000 cfs Paul Martzen
6y268d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] San Joaquin near Skaggs Bridge high Paul Martzen
6y288d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] San Joaquin near Gravelly Ford 7,000 cfs Paul Martzen
8y247d06h46m San Joaquin [CA] San Joaquin near Ft. Washington 200 or 300 cfs Paul Martzen