USGS River & Stream Conditions: Live Flow & Gage Height

Get the latest real-time readings for any USGS water monitoring site: streamflow, gage height, water temperature and more, with site name and coordinates. Free official USGS NWIS Instantaneous Values API, no key, public domain. For flood monitoring, outdoor/fishing apps and hydrology dashboards.

What does USGS River & Stream Conditions do?

Live streamflow, gage height and water temperature for any USGS water monitoring site in the US.

What can you use it for?

• Monitor river flow and water level for flood risk.
• Check water temperature and flow before fishing or kayaking.
• Feed real-time hydrology data into dashboards.
• Track conditions at a specific USGS gauge station.

Why use this Actor?

• Fast and cheap: lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
• No API keys or accounts needed for the data source (see notes below).
• Clean, structured JSON that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
• Scheduling, webhooks and integrations: run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

Input

Configure the run in the Input tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
site	string	yes	-	8-15 digit USGS site code, e.g. 01646500.
parameterCd	string	no	"00060,00065"	Comma-separated USGS parameter codes to fetch.

Example input

{
  "site": "01646500",
  "parameterCd": "00060,00065"
}

Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the Output tab or via the API.

Example result

{
  "site": "01646500",
  "siteName": "POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA",
  "latitude": 38.94977778,
  "longitude": -77.12763889,
  "parameterName": "Discharge, cubic feet per second",
  "unit": "ft3/s",
  "value": 2160,
  "dateTime": "2026-10-02T18:50:00.000-04:00",
  "qualifier": "P",
  "license": "U.S. Government Work - public domain (USGS)",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-02T23:50:56.147Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Example
site	string	"01646500"
siteName	string	"POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA"
latitude	number	38.94977778
longitude	number	-77.12763889
parameterName	string	"Discharge, cubic feet per second"
unit	string	"ft3/s"
value	number	2160
dateTime	string	"2026-10-02T18:50:00.000-04:00"
qualifier	string	"P"
license	string	"U.S. Government Work - public domain (USGS)"
scrapedAt	string	"2026-10-02T23:50:56.147Z"

How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the Pricing tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

Notes and limitations

• Find a site number at waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis (e.g. 01646500 for the Potomac River near Washington DC). Data are provisional and subject to revision.
• Not every site measures every parameter; parameters with no current reading return no row for that code.

Tips

• Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
• Use Schedules to automate recurring runs and Webhooks or Integrations to deliver the data where you need it.
• Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

FAQ

What do the parameter codes mean?

00060 = streamflow/discharge (ft3/s), 00065 = gage height (ft), 00010 = water temperature (deg C). You can add more comma-separated USGS parameter codes.

Is this live data?

Yes, the most recent instantaneous reading reported by the site, usually within the last few hours.

Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the Issues tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

More tools from the same author

• Tide Predictions: NOAA High & Low Tide Times by Station - High and low tide times and heights for any NOAA tide station and date range.
• USGS Earthquake Data: Magnitude, Location & Depth Feed - Recent and historical earthquakes worldwide from USGS: magnitude, place, time, depth and tsunami flags.
• Global Weather Forecast by Coordinates: Hourly (Bulk) - Hourly weather forecasts for any coordinates worldwide from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.