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Graphs are for recent river levels for the Haw River at:
Click on the heading of the chart for more information from the sites at the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. If you would like to be informed of river level changes via SMS text or email, you can set up a USGS WaterAlert Subscription by selecting a USGS gage, then select WaterAlert to subscribe. The USGS has a National Water Dashboard interactive map to access real-time data from over 13,500 stations nationwide.
Advice for River Users: Rivers are never safe! Be prepared for potential emergencies by always wearing a life jacket and having with you a white light (such as a flashlight), noise producing device (such as a whistle), and mobile phone kept in a waterproof bag.
What do the numbers mean for the Haw River?
Scroll down to read information from the website rivers.run and from a local kayaker.
The website rivers.run has river information crowdsourced from the paddling community that includes sections, difficulty, and color-coded flow conditions from too low to too high. Not every river fits these descriptions perfectly, so use caution. Here is general information provided by rivers.run using cubic feet per second (cfs) for the Chatham County segments of the Haw River:
Too Low: Very low water level. Expect significant scraping on rocks, longer paddle times between accesses, significantly limited availability of routes for rapids. Can be paddled but likely poor experience.
Chicken Bridge to US 15-501: 200 cfs
Bynum to US 64: 400 cfs
US 64 to Robeson Creek Canoe Access: 800 cfs
Low Flow: Lowest water level recommended for a good experience. Potentially limited routes, typically slightly lower difficulty (varies).
Chicken Bridge to US 15-501: 532 cfs
Bynum to US 64: 1000 cfs
US 64 to Robeson Creek Canoe Access: 1000 cfs
Mid Flow: Ideal water level. Matches expected difficulty with significant river navigability.
Chicken Bridge to US 15-501: 1414 cfs
Bynum to US 64: 2000 cfs
US 64 to Robeson Creek Canoe Access: 2500 cfs
High Flow: Increased difficulty and danger level!
Chicken Bridge to US 15-501: 3761 cfs
Bynum to US 64: 3000 cfs
US 64 to Robeson Creek Canoe Access: 5000 cfs
Too High: Highly dangerous! River does not resemble lower water levels.
Chicken Bridge to US 15-501: 10000 cfs
Bynum to US 64: 10000 cfs
US 64 to Robeson Creek Canoe Access: 10000 cfs
The information below is from a local kayaker:
It used to be that you would have to drive to the river to see what the water level was at any given time. There would be painted hash marks on a bridge column somewhere along a river, giving its height in feet and inches. Along with technology came the USGS water data gauges which are a great tool for seeing what a river is doing without having to get boots on the ground. With that being said, gauges are not always a concrete indication of what a section of river will be like. For instance a gauge wouldn't read any of the water coming in from tributaries downriver of the gauge, localized heavy rain, often gauges freeze in the winter, or trees wrap around them changing their readings. Sometimes they have software problems and wrong info goes online.
With the new USGS gauges the graphs shown are precipitation, gauge height in feet, and cfs (cubic feet per second). Older school boaters will relate more to the gauge height in feet, I have always found for myself that reading the volume of water in the river by cfs is more accurate to me. They should correlate.
A section of river is never safe. All paddle sports are inherently risky.
Rivers are very dynamic environments, that are constantly changing and are a relentless force. It is very important to research any stretch of river you are planning on running, and to be certain you have the required skills to safely navigate the stretch. There are dozens of guidebooks, FB groups, outfitters, and paddlers that are very willing to share information about the different Haw Stretches. Something that does make the Haw River a dangerous river is the amount of trees on its riverbanks and within the river itself. Trees create strainer and sweeper obstacles that paddlers can tangle themselves into, with the potential of getting wrapped up in one, and held under water.
400-1000 cfs is a minimum to low water level
Lots of exposed rock, some carrying required in spots, channelized water, steep banks.
1000-2000 cfs is a low to medium flow
River has water in it, multiple routes open, some debris becomes active, river is still within its banks, some trees come into play.
2000-3000 cfs is a medium to high flow level
River has moving water, debris is actively moving around. Trees are actively changing spots. Multiple routes and lines open in sections with rapids. Trees come into play as strainer considerably more near river banks. Whitewater specific gear highly advised, including paddling experience and rescue training. River is still within its banks.
3000+ cfs is a very high flow level
River starts to become a big volume run, with dynamic water. Large debris, water hydraulics, trees and swift water create numerous hazards. River is beginning to come out of its banks, whitewater specific gear only. Advanced paddling experience and rescue training is highly advised.
In case there are problems with the charts on this page, try this page instead:
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