Stones River at US Hwy 70 near Donelson, TN Flow & Water Level

NWS river forecast

Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.

Last 30 days

About this gauge

USGS gauge 03430200 sits on the Stones River and reads everything draining 934 square miles of the Stones basin. Its datum sits 382 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2012, 13 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

J Percy Priest Reservoir sits immediately upstream, so dam releases rather than rainfall set the flow here. One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is J Percy Priest Reservoir, reading 892 square miles. This gauge adds the 42 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Cumberland River at Stones River near Hermitage,tn at 12,685 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 7% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Cumberland River at Omohundro Wtr Plt at Nashville, TN, Cumberland River at Nashville, TN and Cumberland River near Bordeaux, TN.

Normal flows here

The Stones River runs a median of 819 cfs at this gauge across 13 years of record. February is the fullest month at a median 3,430 cfs, and September the leanest at 152 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 16,900 cfs in 2020, and the lowest is -197.0 cfs in 2015.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2012 to 2025. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Stones River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 35 feet. NWS starts watching it at 20 feet. The highest crest on record is 25.5 feet, in April 2013.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DONT1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.

TVA dams near this gauge

TVA's J Percy Priest Dam sits 3 miles from this gauge and its releases set what this gauge reads. Planned generation, lake level and tailwater elevation for it load below when TVA has published them.

• J Percy Priest Dam 3 miles
• Old Hickory Dam 8 miles